Published on : 10/11/2026
On the vineyard roads of Paris-Tours, Cofidis demonstrated its ambitions with an offensive-minded team. After an eventful race marked by several incidents in the final stretch, Alexis Renard delivered the team’s best performance with a 13th-place finish.
The Cofidis riders had high hopes for this unique classic, which concludes on the vineyard roads near Tours. From the very first kilometers, Paul Ourselin took the lead, spending nearly 160 kilometers in the day’s breakaway. His presence at the front allowed the team to maintain a slight advantage before tackling the decisive sectors.
But on the vineyard paths, the race was quickly marred by flat tires and crashes. After suffering a flat tire in the first sector, Alexis Renard managed to rejoin the peloton before being caught up in a major crash about 50 kilometers from the finish. Forced to put in extra effort to stay in the race, he ultimately had to settle for 13th place, Cofidis’s best result in this edition. Despite the setbacks, Cofidis tried to influence the race right up to the end.
The reaction
Sébastien Hinault, sports director:
“It started off pretty well with a nice breakaway that included Paul Ourselin. The plan was basically to always stay one step ahead. Then we hit the dirt sections, where there were several flat tires and crashes. Unfortunately, Alexis Renard got a flat in the first sector; he dropped back, and then he was caught up in that massive crash about 50 kilometers from the finish. He put in a lot of effort, and that’s surely what he lacked in the final stretch. He finished 13th, our best result today. The key takeaway is that the team rode aggressively. We just didn’t have enough luck to hope for a better result.”