Domenico Pozzovivo (1982) faces his fourth consecutive season at AG2R La Mondiale with his eyes on an ambitious double: the Giro d'Italia alongside teammate Jean-Christophe Péraud and the Tour de France with Romain Bardet as team leader.

The Italian rider has confirmed his calendar: Tour Down Under (January 9-24), Tour of Oman (February 17-22), Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15), Giro del Trentino (April 19-22) and Liege-Bastogne -Liege (April 24) before the Giro d'Italia. "Péraud and I will be the leaders. My goal is to finish in the top five. It would be even better if I can improve on my fifth place from 2014 which remains my best result," he said in La Gazzetta dello Sport . His results in the Giro include 9th in 2008, 8th in 2012, 10th in 2013 and 5th in 2014. Last year he crashed in the third stage and ended up in hospital, fortunately without serious injury.

At 33 years of age, he is also ready for his Tour de France debut. "I have great motivation for that. Over the years, you get less possibilities to participate," he said. "I will be a secondary leader, I will ride in support of Bardet. To finish in the top ten would be a great satisfaction." Between the Giro and the Tour, he will rest for ten days and then train at altitude at Stelvio.

His 2015 season was hampered by his crash in the Giro but he was still third in the Volta a Catalunya, fifth in the Tour of Switzerland, sixth in the Tour Down Under, seventh in the Giro del Trentino, eighth in Tirreno-Adriatico and Liege and 11th in the Vuelta a Espana.

After a first gathering in the French Alps, he will meet his teammates in Gandia, Valencia, from the 8th to the 16th of December.