Nacer Bouhanni explodes against former team Cofidis: "I suffered psychological harassment based on public humiliation and constant arguments"

Nacer Bouhanni was always a controversial figure throughout his career in the peloton but he also feels like some of the problems came from the teams he rode for. Cofidis in particular, was the target of strong words from the former pro in a recent interview.

“When they retire, many top athletes talk about a small death – commented the 33-year-old to L'Equipe Magazine – I live again! It is not an end, but rather a rebirth. I have been under so much pressure over the past few years, even before my fall. It was all or nothing. Especially in Cofidis, under the orders of team manager Cédric Vasseur. I suffered psychological harassment based on public humiliation and constant arguments. It made me hate cycling."

Bouhanni's statements don't come as a shock, taking into consideration that he had in the past voiced his discontent when leaving both FDJ and Cofidis. With Vasseur's team he experienced success from 2018 to 2019 with wins at the Vuelta a España, Criterium du Dauphiné, Paris-Nice and Vuelta a Catalunya among others.

However not everything was good. In 2019, his last year for the team, he took no victories to his name and was not selected to the Tour de France in fact. He looks back at that period and recalls bad relationship with the team management, and considering retirement due to it. In 2020 however he signed with Arkéa - B&B Hotels which he would go on to ride for until the end of his career.

They were tough years riddled by injuries however, where he could not often show the best of himself. Past the prime of his career, he still took some victories in the Covid-19-wrecked year of 2020, but afterwards the situation changed. A crash at the 2022 Tour of Turkey was ultimately the catalyst for the end of his career. A spectator walked onto the road nearing the final bunch sprint of stage 2 and Bouhanni suffered a heavy crash and a fractured vertebrae. The effects of which, almost two years on, have not fully healed:

“I go to the physiotherapist every week and I have to have a new MRI because my neck hasn't recovered full mobility yet. I started a legal battle against the organizers. This incident caused my career to plummet at just 33 years old. I could have raced for at least another three years," he says.

Bouhanni, after missing out on the rest of the year of racing, made another comeback in 2023, but was not the same rider as before. "I was scared like I had never been before", he admits. With little prospects of improvement and Arnaud Démare coming in to lead the French team, he retired at the end of 2023.