Cofidis sweep the market to recruit a rider who should become "the best French Classics rider"

The Lotto-Intermarché merger is now inevitably going to take place. But rather than "50-50 merger" with the best of both teams coming on-board the new project, we see the most promising riders of Intermarché - Wanty setting out on new adventures. And the case is not any different for Hugo Page.

The 24-year-old had a steady progression over the four seasons with the Belgian team. In 2023, he even claimed his only professional victory to this day, winning a stage of the Tour du Limousin. In the meantime, Page has been often placed in the sprint team around team's biggest star Biniam Girmay where Page gained a ton of valuable experience he'll get a chance to put into practice for his new employer.

"After four seasons with Intermarché - Wanty, Hugo Page is returning to a French team," Cofidis announced in a statement. "His goal? To rediscover the taste of victory as quickly as possible," said Cofidis about the Frenchman, who signed a three-year contract.

"I’m very happy to join Cofidis, a team with a long and rich history," added the 24-year-old rider from Chartres. "It feels great to come back to France it’s always more special to race in the jersey of a French team. I want to take on more responsibilities. My goal is to win again as soon as possible!"

The new Cofidis manager Raphael Jeune played a major role in attracting Page to his project. "I immediately had a good connection and a good feeling with Raphael. We are a really good fit and I am sure that my integration into the team will go smoothly," said the new signing.

Jeune has taken over the Cofidis team as a successor to Cédric Vasseur who has been in charge of the team since 2018. For Jeune, it is a tricky time to take up this mission as Cofidis didn't perform in recent seasons as would be desired and ended up losing its WorldTour license to Norwegian ProTeam Uno-X Mobility. With Page, the ambition is to take off to a fresh start in 2026 and claim one of the spots on top of the PRT ranking to ensure the team will be invited to any desired WorldTour event, including the Tour de France - a crucial race for sponsors.

"I’d like to welcome Hugo. He’s a solid rider, and I’m proud to have him in our team," said Jeune himself. "He will bring all his race intelligence and expertise in Belgian classics and cobbled races. Having previously worked hard for his leaders, including Biniam Girmay, he has a lot to offer us."

But the expectations of Page will be far greater than just to become a French Cup contender who does a good amount of work in bigger races. No, Cofidis aims very high with Page. In fact at the very least to make Page the France's next Christophe Laporte.

"We will do everything possible to help him become the best French Classics rider," he said optimistically. "Whether it’s the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, or Gent-Wevelgem, I’m sure we will experience great moments with Hugo!"