Published on : 06/09/2022
In parallel to the Critérium du Dauphiné where Benjamin Thomas has just won the Prix de la Combativité on the stage of the day, the UCI Word Tour team will be present in Switzerland (GP du Canton d'Argovie, Tour de Suisse), in Belgium (Through the Hageland and Het Elfstedenronde Brugge) and then on the slopes of the Mont Ventoux and the roads of the Tour d'Occitanie With the desire to shine!
At the Critérium du Dauphiné, the peloton has been in the thick of things since Thursday. The battle is particularly hard and the Cofidis riders are taking part in it, like Benjamin Thomas who received the Prix de la combativité. He had been involved in the race all day, but was caught by the peloton a hundred meters from the line. In the meantime, the whole UCI World Tour team, staff and riders, is mobilized on other fronts, as the program is going to be dense in the next days.
A weekend in Switzerland and Belgium
This Friday, part of the team will be in Switzerland for the GP du Canton d'Argovie. At the end of this 173,8 km race, the sprinters are dreaming of a big explanation. Cofidis will be able to count on an unprecedented combination of Simone Consonni - recently 2nd at the Ronde Van Limburg -, Bryan Coquard (2 wins and 10 top 10s this season) and Axel Zingle, recently 2nd at the Circuit de Wallonie.
During the weekend the focus will be on Belgium with two races: Through the Hageland on Saturday and Het Elfstedenronde Brugge on Sunday. The team will be supported by specialists in these Belgian races such as Piet Allegaert, Max Walcheid and Jelle Wallays. On Sunday, they will be joined by Simone Consonni (see details below).
Ion Izagirre and Guillaume Martin mobilised
The Tour de Suisse will also start on Sunday. The team will be built around Ion Izagirre in order to aim for a place in the general classification. The Basque will be supported by José Herrada and Rémy Rochas in the mountains, while Bryan Coquard will try his luck in the sprints.
Next Tuesday, the CIC - Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge takes place. The team will be composed of Jesús Herrada, winner of the first edition in 2019, and Guillaume Martin, who will start again after the Giro. The Norman has already distinguished himself in this race: he finished 3rd in the first edition, in 2020, behind Alexandr Vlasov and Richie Porte. They will be supported by Ruben Fernandez, Pierre-Luc Périchon and Anthony Perez.
In addition to the men's race, the women's team will also participate in the CIC Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. The team has been built around Clara Koppenburg who hopes to continue her good momentum after her 3rd place in the Alpes Grésivaudan Classic and her victory in the reVolta.
Finally, the Tour d'Occitanie will start two days later with Jesús Herrada and Ruben Fernandez as leaders. All in all, the Cofidis team is deploying itself in three countries and six races over the next seven days. On each of these fronts, the riders will have to give it their all, fine-tune their physical conditions and their automatisms before meeting up in Copenhagen for the start of the Tour de France. The countdown to the most prestigious race of the season has already begun.
THE ENTRIES
Friday 10 June - GP Aargau (Switzerland)
?? S. Armee, T. Bohli, S. Consonni, B. Coquard, Jo. Herrada, A. Zingle
Saturday 11 June - Dwars door het Hageland (Belgium)
?? P. Allegaert, W. Kreder, A. Renard, S. Sajnok, K. Vanbilsen, J. Wallays, M. Walscheid
Sunday 12 June - Elfstedenronde Brugge (Belgium)
?? P. Allegaert, S. Consonni, A. Renard, S. Sajnok, K. Vanbilsen, J. Wallays, M. Walscheid
Sunday 12 to Sunday 19 June - Tour de Suisse
?? S. Armee, T. Bohli, B. Coquard, Jo. Herrada, I. Izagirre, R. Rochas, D. Villella
Tuesday 14 June - CIC Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge - Women (France)
?? A. Castrique, C. Koppenburg, S. Levenez, R. Neylan, O. Onesti, G. Pilote Fortin
Tuesday 14 June - CIC Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge (France)
?? F. Bidard, T. Champion, A. Delettre, R. Fernandez, Je. Herrada, G. Martin, A. Perez
Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 June - La Route d'Occitanie - La Dépêche du Midi (France)
?? A. Carvalho, D. Cimolai, A. Delettre, R. Fernandez, Je. Herrada, P-L. Périchon, S. Sajnok
THEY SAID
Bryan Coquard: "My condition is quite good, I did everything to arrive in shape in this period with the Tour de Suisse and the French championship. I worked well after the Mayenne and everything is back in order after my few injuries. For tomorrow, the objective is obviously to win. Ideally, it will be to be well positioned in the pack and to be able to play the sprint. But we will have to adapt ourselves according to the scenario of the race. And I know that we will have several cards to play within the team!
Guillaume Martin: "I will finally start again on the CIC Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. It's a bit earlier than expected, I wasn't supposed to have a race before the French championship. It's a desire on my part to get back into the race fairly quickly. I finished the Giro in good shape, even if it was a mixed bag in terms of emotions and results. I want to start again on a new dynamic and why not go for the victory. I arrive in the unknown without