"The goal isn’t to race just for the sake of racing": Cofidis declines Giro d'Italia wildcard

Cofidis has confirmed that they will not participate in the 2026 Giro d'Italia, opting to utilize the flexibility granted by their new ProTeam status. After finishing 19th in the UCI rankings last season and losing their WorldTour license, the French squad secured automatic invitations to all top-tier events but is under no obligation to accept them.

The decision marks a significant shift for the historic French team, which is prioritizing resource management over presence at every major race. Team manager Raphael Jeune highlighted that without a continental development squad to draw from, stretching the roster across three Grand Tours is not feasible for them.

"For a ProTeam it’s difficult to ride all three Grand Tours," Jeune told DirectVélo. "We are obliged to race in France, which we do with pleasure. We are fully committed to performing well. In May we will head to the Four Days of Dunkirk with high ambitions. It’s also an important month of preparation for the Tour de France — naturally the most important event of the season."

The Giro d'Italia is not the only casualty of this new strategy. Cofidis will also skip the Tours of Catalonia, Romandie, and Suisse. Furthermore, they will not line up for Italian spring races such as Strade Bianche or Tirreno-Adriatico, choosing instead to focus entirely on the French calendar during that period, such as Paris-Nice.

"If you add the potential for injuries and illnesses, it adds up quickly," Jeune noted regarding the risks of a heavy schedule. "At the same time, we have Paris–Nice, and we can’t try to do too many things at once. The goal isn’t to race just for the sake of racing. We want to show our jersey when we line up — and I don’t mean a breakaway for publicity, I mean feeling our presence and achieving results."

While reducing their European WorldTour footprint, Cofidis is looking East to secure vital UCI points. The team plans to increase its presence in Asian races, a tactic successfully employed by other teams like Astana that were fighting for survival in previous seasons.

"We saw last year that Astana raced a lot in Asia for points. If other teams are doing it, why shouldn’t we?" Jeune argued. "We will discover new races and there will be a real drive to do that. It’s also beneficial for the development of our young riders."

"To speak of China, it is of course a rapidly developing market. It is very important for our partners Look and Campagnolo," Jeune added.

A significant factor in the schedule reduction is the protection of rider mental health. There is an increasingly physical and mental toll, and more and more riders are affected by that. As an example, the recent break taken by World Champion Fem van Empel.

"When we talk about performance in races, we must also think about the health of the riders. You shouldn't put them on races at all costs," Jeune said. "We see that it is complicated on this level, even in a big team like Visma-Lease a Bike... We see that in recent years, several riders stop their careers for mental reasons."

To address this, Cofidis has hired Soline Lamboley as a full-time mental coach, a move Jeune describes as "innovative." She works with both athletes and staff.

"I am happy to see all the staff members with a smile. Everyone is delighted to meet again," he noted regarding the team atmosphere. "Everyone knows their role for the whole year, with their own objectives... The leitmotif is performance and also the human aspect."