"You should never give up, you have to keep trying" - Alex Aranburu's many attempts are rewarded with a first WorldTour Classic win
CyclingMonday, 31 August 2026 at 06:00
Cofidis is enjoying an excellent week. After Bryan Coquard's sprint victory at Vuelta a Espana, Alex Aranburu underlined the French team's exceptional weekend with a triumph at the Bretagne Classic.
The Spaniard was part of a move in the race's final kilometers, which managed to join the early breakaway. Cofidis, riding strongly, managed to get three riders into that group. Next to Aranburu, also Dylan Teuns and Ion Izagirre were present. And when the latter had a mechanical with 3 kilometers to go, it was Aranburu's signal to make his move.
Although Aranburu already has some nice victories in his palmares, the Bretagne Classic is the biggest of them, the 30-year-old doesn't hide in a post-race interview for DirectVelo: "I won two or three stages at the Itzulia Basque Country, but a Classic is different. It's a very important race. We're very happy because it's always great to win a WorldTour Classic, and even more so here in France, for the team, it's very important. We had a very good week."
"Took advantage of a lull"
The main obstacle on the course of Bretagne Classic - the Cote de Ty Marrec with 1.3km at 5.3% - is not among the hardest climbs the WorldTour riders encounter but the repeated ascents stack up and the race quickly becomes too hard for classic sprinters. And that's precisely the territory where Aranburu shines.
"It was a very tough race. It's true that on this circuit, it was perhaps a little better for me in particular, and a little less so for the sprinters because the peloton could split at any moment. We tried something at the end and it paid off. Our plan was to be attentive on the last lap. On the false flat uphill, there was some action, we were there, and then I took advantage of a lull to try my luck."
Crash changed the course of action
The race looked perfectly under control, but with five kilometers remaining, the breakaway was still riding strong at the front and peloton found itself in a bit of a stalemate. But a crash in final parts of the race opened an opportunity and Cofidis riders did not hesitate to jump after it.
"There was a crash, some riders hung on, but luckily we were able to get back up quickly. There was a brief lull, and then we were able to rejoin the leading group. You should never give up, you have to keep trying. This time it was like that, we didn’t throw in the towel, and in the end, there was the reward."
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It is not secret that Cofidis is looking to secure a WorldTour promotion for the 2029 season. And since the battle from 15th to 20th position in the ranking is extremely close, every point counts. And Aranburu's victory (worth 400 points), paired with Coquard's Vuelta stage win (180) allows Cofidis to leapfrog all the way from 20th to 15th.
"Things are falling into place. The Polynormande went well, as did the Limousin and Poitou stages... Yesterday at the Vuelta with Coquard, they did a great job, and today we're putting the finishing touches on it. It's the result of hard work. We've worked a lot, and after the Tour de France we tried to capitalize on our form, and things are going well for us right now."
"Nothing in particular has changed; we have to keep improving year after year, trying to give our best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but right now we're on a good run, and we have to keep it up. Now I have a few classics in Italy, and then I'm going to be a dad, so I'll have a bit of a rest," Aranburu concludes with the happy news.
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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Rafionain-Glas30-08-2026 - For the past 2 years, all I read from cycling "experts" is "pogi shouldn't do this", "pogi shouldn't do that", "it's too dangerous, he shouldn't do that ride", "it's too soon, he shouldn't go there", "he shouldn't try both races in the same year", etc etc etc. how about a bit of silence from the experts?! it's funny, the only guy that somehow supported him was armstrong: "he'll be back. he knows the record."guster30-08-2026
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- Very good points and concerns you mention, it is well taken.. Since I have no acces to the CT images already available I describe likely scenarios. To secure that the non-dislocated C7 fracturure heals unproblematic serial CT images will be performed frequently A theoretic but statistically unlikely problem, could be if the fracture involved the canal where the C7 nerve root departs, and more repair bone is generated that compress the nerve. That is very unlikely and can be easily solved by surgery. Tadej is so beloved, not only because he is the undisputed best rider, but also because he is humid, generous and humuoristic and boyish positive and competitive. guy My guess he will be back as strong as ever in the 2027 season. His worst enemy could be himself if he does not take the needed time to recover, but hopefully he will listen to independant sane medical advisors.Jakob30-08-2026
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