Published on : 07/21/2024
Over the course of a particularly gruelling edition, the riders and staff of the northern outfit had to face a number of challenges. However, each of them held their own and gave their all to do their colours proud. Guillaume Martin's place as best Frenchman in the general classification (13th) and Bryan Coquard's 7 top 15 finishes in sprints were among the highlights. Simon Geschke, who was racing his last Tour de France, Piet Allegaert who was taking part in his first Tour de France and Axel Zingle for the 2nd time, have nothing to be ashamed of. They tell their stories.
Cycling fans like to see things as they are. A final stage so far from the Champs-Élysées, with a time trial in which each rider arrives in dribs and drabs, has a slightly less dramatic effect than a bunch sprint down the most beautiful avenue in the world. Nevertheless, finishing a Tour de France is never trivial.
At Cofidis, we're well aware of that, and all the riders, professionals through and through, were diligent and conscientious in completing the stage between Monaco and Nice. We saw the concentrated faces of Piet, Bryan and Axel. Then we all felt a little tight-lipped when Simon crossed the line. The German rider, who will be retiring at the end of the season, stood up from his bike and clapped his hands. A fine symbol, like the end of 12 Tours de France and 20 Grand Tours.
Martin, a place to win at the end of the time trial
We had to be a little patient before seeing Guillaume Martin on the course. The Norman rider wanted to consolidate his 14th place and he did better. After a particularly masterful performance, Guillaume moved up one place in the overall classification (13th). He therefore finished as the best Frenchman once again.
This is the 5th time in his career that he has finished in the top 15 in the overall rankings, an impressive performance that demonstrates his consistency at the highest level. Guillaume and his team-mates will now be able to savour the moment, with a thought for their team-mates who would have so much appreciated being at their side (Ion Izagirre, Jésus Herrada and Alexis Renard). Soon, there will be new challenges to face with the same determination to give their all.
Guillaume Martin:
‘happy to have taken risks’
‘I didn't expect to gain a place in the time trial! I had a good feeling today, but above all I wanted to keep my 14th place. More generally, it's true that I was expecting a bit better in terms of performance. I oscillated between fighting for stage wins and the battle for the overall classification. In the end, I finished in the top 15, which isn't a disgrace, but it's a bit of a disappointment. On the other hand, I'm pleased that I went on the offensive and took risks, particularly on the stage to Superdévoluy (6th). This is my 8th Tour de France, the 7th I've finished. Being a finisher was an ambition at the start, but it's less so now. And then the fact that I'm finishing in Nice and not on the Champs-Elysées, the atmosphere is inevitably a bit different.
Bryan Coquard:
‘it's still a great memory’
‘Personally, I'm disappointed with my Tour de France. I came to do better. In the bunch sprints, I was never very far away but never too close to victory either. Collectively, it's more or less the same result, even if we gave it our all. We fought hard and Guillaume finished in the top 15 overall. Personally, I fought hard at the end of the Tour to take 3rd place in the best sprinter classification and score UCI points in the process. A Tour de France is a long adventure, you spend a month together. It's tiring, there are highs and lows, but it's always a great memory.
Simon Geschke:
‘we can all be proud’
‘Of course, it wasn't the Tour de France I was hoping for. I thought I would have been better able to take part in breakaways and achieve some results. But I'm happy to have been able to help Bryan and Guillaume and get the job done. Yesterday, it wasn't easy for Guillaume and I'm happy to have been able to support him. The Col de la Couillole was a special moment too: I knew it would be my last Tour de France climb in my career and in my life. It was very special and I really enjoyed it.
We're not collectively disappointed, even if we didn't manage to win a stage, which was our initial objective. We tried to give it our all every day, but we were unlucky with the retirements of Ion (Izagirre), Jesus (Herrada) and Alexis (Renard), and we really missed them. After that, the level was really very high. It's the toughest race of the year and it's never easy. We can all be proud of finishing the Tour.
Piet Allegaert:
‘happy to have gone all the way’
‘I'm pretty happy with my first Tour de France. I had the feeling that I was doing my job well for the team. To go all the way, to finish the last stage, is obviously satisfying. Yesterday, I was really happy to have made it to the finish. I was a bit afraid of being out of time in the mountain stages, so it's obviously a relief. Of course, a lot of fatigue built up, but I'm happy to have made it to the finish. Now it's done!
Axel Zingle:
‘we have nothing to be ashamed of’.
‘We gave it our all with the whole team. It wasn't easy with the retirement of three of our riders (Ion Izagirre, Jésus Herrada and Alexis Renard). Alexis' departure was detrimental to the train behind Bryan in the sprints and we also lost two “stage chasers” with Ion and Jesus. Fortunately, Guillaume came through in the overall classification. He put in a hell of a performance. Even if we didn't win a stage, we can't be ashamed of our Tour de France. Individually, I had a good feeling in week 2 until my crash. I was a bit frustrated in the sprints. Now I'm hoping to recover well before what promises to be a very interesting 2nd half of the season.