"We're seeing the emergence of teams backed by billionaires" - Yet, Cofidis continue push for World Tour return
Cycling
Cofidis had to deal with the blow of being demoted to PRT level at the end of 2025 season after they failed to sneak into the select group of 18 teams who secured a WorldTour license. How did they handle the new situation? The new team manager Raphaël Jeune balances the season in an interview with Cyclism'Actu.
"Our goal was to win 15 races and finish 15th in the world rankings. We ended up with 18 wins and finished 18th," Jeune begins with a quick look at the statistics. But with the same breath he adds that he saw a very "ecstatic" team; both riders and staff.
In addition, Cofidis already started the season three steps behind competition due to severe health issues of its riders. "It wasn't easy, though, as we had to cope with several significant absences. Ludovic Robeet, after his stroke, Damien Touzé, who suffered a serious crash in Oman, and Oliver Knight, who had recurring back problems, were all unavailable. So we started with 27 riders instead of 30, without a Devo team to complete the roster."
The bad luck continued to pile on throughout the season, which effectively prevented Cofidis from completing its second objective of finishing among the 15 best teams in the world:
"Then, we lost Milan Fretin for more than two months after Paris-Nice, and then Stanisław Aniolkowski broke his arm upon his return. At the end of the season, Hugo Page, Alex Aranburu, and Ion Izagirre also suffered serious crashes. We weren't very lucky, but the overall result is still very satisfying."
Prolific winners
On the other hand, Cofidis was very successful at finishing off races when given the opportunity. The headline results were Alex Aranburu's Bretagne Classic win and Bryan Coquard's first Grand Tour victory at the age of 34.
"In particular, we won five WorldTour races. Cofidis hadn't achieved that many since 2010. We also finished ahead of three WorldTour teams in the world rankings. Bryan Coquard's victory at the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour win, was also a huge source of pride."
In any case, Cofidis have learnt this season just how fierce will the competition for WorldTour spots be. The French PRT team ultimately concluded the season in 18th position - the last which would guarantee a promotion - but only 26 points ahead of NSN Cycling Team who have massively strengthened its ranks ahead of 2027 season.
"We know very well that the axe will fall at the end of 2028. The competition is fierce. We're seeing the emergence of teams backed by billionaires, who have virtually unlimited financial resources. For our part, we have a budget that we have to respect, and we manage our organization like a real business."
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"So we're going to fight with what we have to survive in this environment. We can't go back, but we have to keep moving forward. I also think that with just a little more luck, without changing anything in our preparation or our plans, we could have aimed for the world's top 15."
"Obviously, we want to return to the WorldTour. As you said, the competition is very strong. Between 14th and 20th place in the world rankings, all the teams are very close. With a bit more luck, we could have finished 14th this year, given our level."
One rider has potential to swing the entire battle
Jeune also points out to several teams above Cofidis who have relied on riders who have moved on ahead of next season. This involves Richard Carapaz moving from 15th EF to 19th NSN along with his 3,031 points, or Mauro Schmid from 14th Jayco AlUla to 12th Pinarello Q36.5 with his 2,918 points.
As teams between 12th and 20th position were separated by less than 1,500 UCI points at the end of the 2026 season, such shifts in power have potential to turn the situation upside down next year. "Some teams have also benefited from the outstanding results of a single rider. If that rider has a more difficult season in 2027, the hierarchy could change."
After all, Cofidis will also hope to manage to replace the retiring Ion Izagirre who was a massive contributor in 2026 with his 1,470 points.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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