La Pomme Marseille team up with KTM

French UCI Continental team La Pomme-Marseille will team up with Austrian bike manufacturers KTM in 2015, with the team becoming Marseille-13-KTM.

The France-based team hope to progress to Pro Continental status and participate in the Tour de France in the coming years, and team manager Frédéric Rostaing believes the partnership with KTM will propel them in the right direction.

He said: “KTM is an innovative manufacturer with a long and eventful history. And they’re growing year by year. Together we’ve got an enormous potential.”

Former Cofidis rider Remy Di Gregorio is one of the more well-known riders in the squad, gaining notoriety in 2012 when he was arrested on the first rest day of the Tour de France as part of a doping investigation.

He was cleared to race again when the ‘banned substance’ he was suspected to have taken turned out to be vitamins.

Joining Di Gregorio is fellow Frenchman Alexandre Blain, who comes in from British outfit Team Raleigh.

KTM’s Martin Gaber says the partnership is beneficial for both parties: “La Pomme is known for promoting young and talented riders. That matches perfectly with our ideas. Now, we want to grow together.”

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