Cofidis are in need of points to assure their presence at World Tour level, and after Guillaume Martin took the win at the Tour de l'Ain, Axel Zingle was victorious on the opening day of the Arctic Race of Norway under impressive circumstances.
“I am very happy with this win. It's hard to win outside of France. Last night I was already thinking about today's stage, I knew this finish suited me," Zingle said in the post-race interview. With an open startlist and the cold and rainy weather, it was an opening stage that gave the opportunity for many to succeed, but no rider managed to steer clear of the bunch the way the 23-year oldhas.
"It was difficult to position well today. It went very fast in the final kilometers, but I knew when to be at the front. The last 500 meters were uphill, which made it a tough sprint," he described. Zingle carefully followed the wheels until the moment where he was to launch his sprint, and when he did he had a different turn of speed in comparison to everyone else.
Zingle put on a second to the competition, and with the bonifications he's taken on he leader's jersey with the ambition to perhaps do more. The coming three stages will all be relatively hilly, however the Frenchman seems to have the form to try and defend it.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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🏅🇫🇷Axel Zingle (Cofidis) Gana la Etapa 1 de la Arctic Race of Norway 2022 🇳🇴 #ArcticRace #Ciclismo #Noticiclismo
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