 | O'GRADY FACTFILE DOB: 6/8/1973 Nationality: Australian Best Tour: Yellow jersey wearer - 1998 |
Stuart O'Grady ended last season with the news he was switching from Credit Agricole to Cofidis, bringing to a close a very successful match-up. His only real regret at CA is that he failed to prise away the Tour de France green jersey from Erik Zabel and latterly Baden Cooke.
And as the young guns get steadily quicker, the pressure is on the 30-year-old to make his mark.
When signing for Cofidis, they singled him out as a World Cup contender.
At the time, a Cofidis spokesman said: "We will be concentrating on the Belgian Classics with Stuart. Then, after that, perhaps the green jersey or perhaps stages of the Tour de France."
His best result to date in the big races this season was third behind Oscar Freire and Erik Zabel in the Milan-San-Remo.
O'Grady boasts an impressive CV, having won gold in the Commonwealth Games road race in 2002 and led the Tour de France in 1998 and 2001, winning a stage to Grenoble in 1998.
His best result in the race is some way ahead of his sprint rivals, having finished 54th in 2001.
And he has also worn the leader's yellow jersey on two previous Tours.
MMIX
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