The CCC team will focus on stage hunting at this year's Tour de France, while giving Ilnur Zakarin a chance to join his own GC contenders.

The Polish team announced its eight-rider squad for the Tour de France on Friday. The team will be led by Olympic road champion Greg Van Avermaet and will be made up of aggressive riders such as Matteo Trentin and Alessandro De Marchi; Jan Hilt, who finished 12th in the 2017 Giro d'Italia, also makes his debut. He and Zakarin will lead the team in the mountains, and there is also a slot for former Tour de France stage winner Simon Geschke.

However, this will be the last time the team will compete in the Tour de France, as CCC has confirmed that it will end its relationship as title sponsor of the team at the end of this year. Poland's CCC faces severe financial pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and team boss Jim Ochowicz is still struggling to raise money for 2021, while many riders, including Van Avermaat, have already signed contracts with other teams. Ochowicz, however, is upbeat and grateful for the chance to lead a team and compete in the Tour.

"It feels great to be heading back to the Tour de France, which I didn't even know was possible. Winning a stage of the Tour de France is not easy. Winning a stage at the Tour de France is no easy feat, but we have chosen the eight strongest riders in Nice. We will see what Ilnur Zakarin can do in the overall classification and we will support him as much as we can, but ultimately our focus is to arrive in Paris with at least one win," Ochowicz said in a release announcing the team.

Van Avermaert hopes to finish in top form. He has been with Continuum Sports, the WorldTour organization of the CCC team, since joining BMC Racing in 2011, and the 35-year-old sees a lot of potential when it comes to targeting stages in this race.

"I'm feeling good and excited to get to Nice and start the Tour de France. I'm excited to get to Nice and start the Tour de France. I know it's going to be a different race and we all have a few days of racing so anything can happen, but I'm happy with my form so far. I think every day will be more of a battle than ever for the stage win and the overall.

"But it suits me and I think there are some good stages in store for me. It's a strong team with a lot of experience and I think we can work well together to achieve the team's goals. This will be my last Tour de France with Continuum Sport, so it will be special for me and I am even more motivated to do well," Van Avermaet said.

The CCC team for the Tour de France: Greg Van Avermaat, Matteo Trentin, Ilnur Zakarin, Michael Scheer, Jan Hilt, Simon Geschke, Alessandro De Marchi, Jonas Koch