Following a breakthrough spring which has seen him win a stage and finish among the top 20 at the Giro d'Italia, Valentin Paret-Peintre has reportedly attracted the attention of Soudal-QuickStep as the Belgian team looks to strengthen the climbing core around team leader Remco Evenepoel.
According to a report in Het Laatste Nieuws, the deal taking the 23-year-old Frenchman to QuickStep is all but official, with his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Third-year pro Paret-Peintre is the younger brother of Aurélien, who won a stage of the Giro d'Italia last year. This time around, Valentin triumphed from the breakaway on stage 10 at the summit finish of Bocca della Selva, beating Romain Bardet and Jan Tratnik on the way.
He also took second place on the penultimate stage of the race over Monte Grappa, albeit over two minutes behind Giro winner Tadej Pogačar. Last month he finished fourth overall at the Tour of the Alps.
With Soudal-QuickStep seeking to build the team around Evenepoel, Paret-Peintre is seen as a strong option to bolster a support squad that includes the likes of Ilan Van Wilder, Mauri Vansevenant, and Mikel Landa.
Decathlon AG2R could see a number of changes to its stage race roster, with Ben O'Connor also soon to decide his future at the team. Austria's Felix Gall is due to lead Decathlon AG2R at the Tour de France after winning a mountain stage to Courchevel and finishing eighth overall.
Evenepoel will shortly make his racing return at the Critérium du Dauphiné (June 2-9), supported by Landa, Van Wilder, Casper Pedersen, James Knox, Antoine Huby, and Gianni Moscon.
It's his first race back since the mass crash he suffered at Itzulia Basque Country in April along with Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič, though he has said that he won't be in top shape to target a high GC placing ahead of the Tour de France.
