Published on : 01/05/2023
The Alsatian and the Breton, a talented puncheur for one and a complete rider for the other, will wear the colors of Cofidis at least until the end of 2024. This is an opportunity to continue to progress and to make the whole team experience great sporting emotions.
They have a parallel destiny, the desire to do well and the same conviction that the future can be bright. At respectively 24 and 23 years old, Axel Zingle and Alexis Renard, already very well integrated in the team, are among the major elements in the Cofidis team.
Axel Zingle, the taste of victory
Axel's career, French U23 champion in 2020 and a member of the team since last year, has taken quite a turn in 2022. He won the Route Adelie after an incredible collective race in April, and then he won the first stage of the Arctic Race in August. Finally, at the end of the season, Axel had mastered the sprint of the Famenne Ardenne Classic.
Winning is a feeling that can't be compared," explains Axel. It always triggers special emotions.
Alexis Renard, the return to business
These feelings and sensations, Alexis Renard aspires to live them in 2023. After a good start to the season, marked by promising results in the Saudi Tour (7th in stage 4) and the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var (8th in stage 1), the Breton had to give up racing. The reason? The appearance of heart rhythm problems. Operated in August at the University Hospital of Nantes, he had to follow an anticoagulant treatment for three months before gradually resuming cycling. It was a difficult phase to go through, even if Alexis is happy to have been able to count on "the team's full confidence". He hopes to "find his automatisms" and does not lack ambition, he who dreams, like Axel, of unlocking his victory counter.
THEY SAID
Axel Zingle: "I am very happy and confident in the future. I feel really good in the team, it was a matter of course to extend the adventure. We are all on the same wavelength, the team is progressing and so am I. I take great pleasure in meeting my teammates, who are friends, at each training session and at each competition. This year, I want to discover the classics. I know that these races are very demanding but it is my style of racing. I will do everything to be competitive. And of course, I have the Tour de France in the back of my mind... I would like to thank all our supporters for their support, the whole team and especially Cédric (Vasseur) and Samuel (Bellenoue) for their trust. I would also like to salute my family who allows me to find a balance that is essential to be as competitive as possible."
Alexis Renard: "I'm really grateful to the whole team for their trust, throughout what I went through. It's not easy to stay on stand-by for so many months when you are a competitor. But I feel that I'm going in the right direction, that my sensations are good on the bike. I can't wait to get back to racing. I want to play my role as a teammate to help the leaders and sprinters to shine. And then I also hope to be able to play my card in some races and fight to discover the Tour de France this year."
Cédric Vasseur, General Manager: "I am proud and happy about the contract extension of these two talented young riders. They represent the future of the Cofidis team. Axel has shown in less than a year an extraordinary potential. He is a diligent rider who continues to climb the ladder. We are sure that he will be able to play at the highest level in 2023. Even though Alexis had a shortened season last year, we quickly realized that he had tremendous potential. His will to succeed, his presence at the front of the races allow us to be ambitious at each race. The Cofidis team is counting heavily on these two young riders for the coming years."