Blow for Benoît Cosnefroy: season start delayed to undergo a knee surgery

Bad news for Decathlon AG2R's star Benoît Cosnefroy who will be sidelined for the early weeks and months of the 2025 season. The 29-year-old aims to score at the Ardennes classics this spring, but this setback may alter his ambitions. 

"Benoît has been struggling with knee pain for several weeks, which is disrupting his preparation for the season. He will undergo surgery next week, after which he will have to recover for four weeks before he can resume normal training. We will then communicate about his competition program," Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale informed on social media.

Last year, Cosnefroy started strongly with early overall victory at Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (2.1) after having previously competed at the Etoile de Besseges and Classic Var. None of these races will make it onto the Frenchman's 2025 schedule as his return doesn't seem likely until March.

At the moment, Cosnefroy can still hope that his recovery will allow him to arrive to the classics at full strength. But only time will tell if those won't come a tad bit too early for the winner of Brabantse Pijl and 4th man of La Fleche Wallonne in 2024.