French cycling team
Cofidis
(
UCI
team code:
COF
) is a French professional
road bicycle racing
team
sponsored by a money-lending company,
Cofidis
. It was started in 1996 by
Cyrille Guimard
, the former manager of
Bernard Hinault
,
Greg LeMond
and
Laurent Fignon
of the
Renault?Elf?Gitane
team of the 1980s. The team's sponsor has supported the team despite repeated problems such as doping scandals. After it was part of the
UCI ProTour
for the ProTour's first five seasons, from 2010 the team competed as a
UCI Professional Continental
team. The team joined the
UCI World Tour
for the 2020 season.
History
[
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]
Cyrille Guimard started the team in 1996 with backing from Francois Migraine, the chief executive of Cofidis. An early acquisition was
Lance Armstrong
, formerly of
Motorola Cycling Team
. Armstrong was dropped
[1]
because of his cancer and another American,
Bobby Julich
, became leader for
stage races
. Julich's place in the top three of the
1998 Tour de France
brought the team to the spotlight, and
Frank Vandenbroucke
brought further results in
classics
. That year, Cofidis won the
team classification in the Tour
.
Years of drought followed as Julich and Vandenbroucke left the team. Vandenbroucke's Belgian compatriots,
Nico Mattan
,
Chris Peers
,
Peter Farazijn
, and
Jo Planckaert
, stayed on but were criticised for inconsistent performances. Cofidis, on the demand of Migraine, began paying riders by results, judged by the points they won in
a season-long competition
run by the
Union Cycliste Internationale
. Belgian riders criticised the policy, saying it would lead riders to ride conservatively to be sure of good placings at the finish. They debated the issue publicly with the manager,
Alain Bondue
, and left.
David Millar
raised the team's profile by winning the prologue of the
2000 Tour de France
, taking leadership of the team. Millar criticized the points system and the team relented.
In 2004 Cofidis had three
world champions
?
Igor Astarloa
on the road,
David Millar
in the
individual time trial
and
Laurent Gane
on the
track
. However, a doping scandal involving Millar and other riders led them to stop racing until it was resolved. Astarloa left the team. The investigation decided that doping was by individual riders and that the team was not involved. David Millar has since suggested otherwise, in a strongly worded interview with the BBC.
[2]
In May 2004 the team announced that Bondue and team doctor Jean-Jacques Menuet had both resigned.
[3]
The team then returned to competition for the
2004 Tour de France
, in which
Stuart O'Grady
and
David Moncoutie
won stages, Moncoutie's on
Bastille Day
.
Following the doping scandals, the team appointed
Eric Boyer
as team manager in 2005.
[4]
Moncoutie won on Bastille day again in the
2005 Tour de France
? the only French stage win ? with O'Grady's help. A new signing,
Sylvain Chavanel
failed to win a stage or to make a strong impression.
O'Grady and
Matthew White
left in 2006.
Cedric Vasseur
? often the road captain ? also left. An early victory in Classic Haribo by
Arnaud Coyot
showed the team still had firepower. Cofidis won the first stage of the
2006 Tour de France
with
Jimmy Casper
, in a chaotic sprint.
Team Cofidis team vehicles in 2021
For 2007 the team signed
Belgians
Nick Nuyens
and
Kevin De Weert
from
Quick-Step?Innergetic
.
On 25 July 2007 Cofidis rider
Cristian Moreni
failed his doping test after the 11th stage of the Tour de France. His blood contained traces of
testosterone
. Moreni acknowledged doping. The team withdrew from the Tour.
[5]
In 2008 the team enjoyed the most successful season of Boyer's time as manager, with Chavanel winning
Dwars door Vlaanderen
and
Brabantse Pijl
and Chavanel and
Samuel Dumoulin
both taking stage wins in that year's
Tour de France
.
[4]
On 29 September 2009, the
UCI ProTour
decided not to renew the ProTour licenses of Cofidis and
Bbox Bouygues Telecom
, due to poor results.
[6]
In 2012, the team received a
wildcard
invitation to the
Tour de France
, along with three other French-registered teams.
[7]
A few days before the start of the race, Boyer was sacked as manager of the team, with Migraine blaming him for poor results: he was replaced by former
Festina
,
Astana
and
FDJ?BigMat
directeur sportif
Yvon Sanquer
.
[4]
[8]
On 10 July 2012, the first rest day in the
2012 Tour de France
, French police raided the Cofidis team hotel, arresting French rider
Remy Di Gregorio
[9]
on suspicion of doping.
[10]
For the 2015 season the team announced it had signed 2014
Giro d'Italia points classification
winner,
Nacer Bouhanni
, along with
Dominique Rollin
,
Geoffrey Soupe
and
Steve Chainel
.
[11]
After a 2017 season during which the team only took 13 wins, in October of that year the team announced that Sanquer had been sacked, and that he would be replaced as manager by former Cofidis rider Vasseur.
[8]
The team returned to UCI WorldTour status in the 2020 season, and the team will using
De Rosa
bikes beginning from the 2020 season, ending their contract with
Kuota
.
[12]
Starting with the 2023 season the team will be riding
Look
bicycles.
[13]
Team roster
[
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]
- As of 9 January 2024.
[14]
Major wins
[
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]
National champions
[
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]
- 2000
- Luxembourgish Time Trial, Steve Fogen
- 2001
- Estonian Road Race, Janek Tombak
- 2003
- Australian Road Race, Stuart O'Grady
- Estonian Road Race, Janek Tombak
- 2005
- French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
- 2006
- French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
- 2008
- French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
- 2009
- Estonian Road Race, Rein Taaramae
- Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramae
- 2010
- Estonian Road Race, Kalle Kriit
- 2011
- Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramae
- 2012
- Latvian Road Race, Aleksejs Saramotins
- Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramae
- 2013
- Estonian Road Race, Rein Taaramae
- 2014
- French U23 Cyclo-cross, Clement Venturini
- Estonian Time Trial, Gert Joeaar
- 2015
- Estonian Time Trial, Gert Joeaar
- Estonian Road Race, Gert Joeaar
- 2016
- Estonian Time Trial, Gert Joeaar
- 2017
- French Cyclo-cross, Clement Venturini
- 2018
- Eritrean Time Trial, Daniel Teklehaimanot
- 2019
- Eritrean Road Race, Natnael Berhane
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Team classification
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Team points classification
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