Bryan Coquard on the importance of relegation battle: "It's what sets the pace for all our races"

Cofidis may not be in the imminent danger of relegation, however it's still a threat the team of Cédric Vasseur needs to take seriously. That also means a lot of extra effort for key riders like Bryan Coquard, who is tasked to sprint even for minor placings. But so far the team seems to have gotten on the right track.

"I have the impression that we're on a good pace, a good rhythm, we've already won 4 times," Coquard begins at Cyclism'Actu on the topic. "So there you go, we're staying focused, obviously, everyone is aware of this relegation at the end of the year. The points race is on, I have the impression that we're in a good dynamic, we're scoring points and getting results. So yes, we're not winning every weekend, but we're doing our best, and for now it's very good."

Cofidis may be currently seated in "safe" 17th position on the UCI ranking, but with both XDS Astana and Uno-X Mobility swinging strongly in the early months of 2025, the gap thinned down considerably. For Coquard as Cofidis' lead sprinter, it's all the more motivation to deliver. And consistently.

"It clearly impacts us. It impacts my job. I think the top 12 teams in the ranking don't really care. But for those at the bottom of the rankings and the top ProTeams, we have to think about it, it's part of the strategies, that's for sure, and it's what sets the pace for all our races, all our weekends."

With a strong French title sponsor like Cofidis, the team would probably still manage to secure Tour de France invitations if they were to drop a division, however the privilege of being among the best cycling teams in the world clearly has its value.

"We know we have a sponsor who's there, who's been in cycling for a very long time and who's going to be there for a long time. But obviously they want us to be in the WorldTour, and to be invited directly to the Tour de France, to have the best calendar without depending on invitations."

Few days prior, L'Équipe published a report accusing team manager, Cédric Vasseur, did that impact the mood in team bus in any way? "We had a good discussion in November and it was one of the first times in my career, where the sporting management - the sporting directors and Cédric - apologized. They apologized following a few small disagreements, which were trivial, it was more like unspoken things, so I was very happy about that, and since that day, I have gone all out for the team."