“It is important to make yourself as useful as possible and to mean something to the team” - Christophe Noppe on his role at Cofidis

After he achieved three podium finishes at the Tour de la Provence earlier this month, Axel Zingle was full of praise for his teammate and loyal domestique Christophe Noppe, who alongside Alexis Gougeard was key in putting Zingle in good position in the finale of each stage.

In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Noppe explained his role within the team, stating that “my job is to keep the leaders of our team out of the way, hand them water bottles and properly drop them off at the foot of slopes”.

With only one professional victory to his name (which was De Kustpijl in 2017), the Belgian rider has often ridden as a domestique in his previous teams. In his interview, Noppe went into further detail about his role, as he explained that “as a professional it is important to make yourself as useful as possible and to mean something to the team”.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, he said “I feel ready for the Belgian classics. My knowledge of courses is an additional asset. I will certainly be able to teach Axel Zingle a thing or two in Flanders”.

He is also yet to ride a Grand Tour in his career, which Noppe confirmed is an ambition of his, as he stated that “my competition programme after the classics has not yet been determined, but maybe I can compete in the Vuelta”.