Former McLaren and English Rugby team staff moves into Cofidis in hopes of maintaining World Tour license
Cycling
Cofidis ended the 2024 season - the second out of the three-year cycle - in 18th spot, the first above the red line, around 2500 points in front of Arkéa - B&B Hotels and Uno-X Mobility. To help their efforts in 2025, the French team signed a nutritionist that has formerly worked with McLaren and the English Rugby national team.
It's an attempt from the French team to revitalize itself, in a winter where a lot has changed within the team, with 12 signings and departures including several leaders in each one. When it comes to staff the team also brough in Briton Scott Gilham who will be one of the team's nutritionists for the upcoming season. "In every environment I have worked in, I have tried to learn as much as possible about athletes, their needs and how to improve their nutrition and performance", Gilham said in words to Cyclingnews.
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The team will have a fresh set of leaders, with Bryan Coquard staying but now being joined by the likes of Alex Aranburu, Dylan Teuns and Emanuel Buchmann. It will be a difficult season, but one that is very important as the team may ensure it's World Tour maintenance for another three seasons if they manage to stay above the line.
Italian coach Mattia Michelusi is another member of the refursbished staff team, who explained the plan with the American news outlet: "We want to optimize everything that is part of performance. The idea is to find the right alloy between all the aspects related to performance. We want to gather the pieces of the puzzle, assemble them and put them in the right place. We are keen to work with people who come from other countries and who have a different sports culture," Michelusi said. "It is important to learn from the best to help the group progress."
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En plus de Simon Geschke que nous avions salué au moment de sa dernière course, ces coureurs quittent aussi l'équipe, certains pour terminer leur carrière, d'autres en partant ailleurs. Nous leur souhaitons plein de réussites. pic.twitter.com/368148fg5p
— Team Cofidis (@TeamCOFIDIS) December 24, 2024
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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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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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