Cofidis (cycling team)
{{Short description|French cycling team}}
{{Infobox cycling team
| name=Cofidis
| image= File:Logo-cofidis.png|thumb
| code=COF
| registered= France
| bicycles= Kuota (–2019)
De Rosa (2020–2022)
Look (2009–2014, 2023–)
| founded= {{start date|1997}}
| disbanded=
| website=http://www.equipe-cofidis.com/
| generalmanager=Cédric Vasseur
| ds1=
| ds2=
| ds3=
| ds4=
| ds5=
| discipline=Road
| status=UCI Professional Continental (2010–2019)
UCI WorldTeam (2005–2009, 2020–)
| season=1997–
| oldname =Cofidis
| kitimage =
| current = 2025 Cofidis (men's team) season
}}
Cofidis ({{UCI 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
Cyrille Guimard started the team in 1996 with backing from François Migraine, the chief executive of Cofidis. An early acquisition was Lance Armstrong, formerly of Motorola Cycling Team. Armstrong was droppedIt's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong 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.
File:David Moncoutie Tour 2002.jpg riding for Cofidis at the 2002 Tour de France.]]
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 Gané 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.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8785976.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Millar recalls EPO doping trauma | date=3 July 2010}} In May 2004 the team announced that Bondue and team doctor Jean-Jacques Menuet had both resigned.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/cycling-manager-and-doctor-quit-troubled-cofidis-562246.html |title=Cycling: Manager and doctor quit troubled Cofidis |last=Fotheringham |first=Alasdair |author-link=Alasdair Fotheringham|date=4 May 2004|website=independent.co.uk |access-date=28 October 2017}} The team then returned to competition for the 2004 Tour de France, in which Stuart O'Grady and David Moncoutié won stages, Moncoutié's on Bastille Day.
Following the doping scandals, the team appointed Éric Boyer as team manager in 2005.{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cofidis-sacks-manager-boyer/ |title=Cofidis sacks manager Boyer |author= |date=26 June 2012 |website=cyclingnews.com |access-date=28 October 2017}} Moncoutié 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. Cédric 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.
{{multiple image|direction=vertical|width=220
| image1 = 2021 AGR men car Cofidis.jpg
| image2 = Paris-Nice 2021, Cofidis truck.jpg
| footer = 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.[https://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news;_ylt=Al08HqTE2q4Lygrrlu3_mRw5nYcB?slug=ap-tourdefrance&prov=ap&type=lgns With cycling in crisis, Tour de France organizers revamp race for 2008 – Cycling – Yahoo! Sports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314025734/http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news%3B_ylt%3DAl08HqTE2q4Lygrrlu3_mRw5nYcB?slug=ap-tourdefrance&prov=ap&type=lgns |date=March 14, 2008 }}
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.
On 29 September 2009, the UCI ProTour decided not to renew the ProTour licenses of Cofidis and Bbox Bouygues Telecom, due to poor results.
In 2012, the team received a wildcard invitation to the Tour de France, along with three other French-registered teams.{{cite news|title=Argos-Shimano receives Tour de France wildcard invitation|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/argos-shimano-receives-tour-de-france-wildcard-invitation|access-date=5 July 2012|website=Cycling News|date=6 April 2012}} 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 {{UCI team code|FES|2000}}, {{UCI team code|AST|2007}} and {{UCI team code|FDJ|2012}} directeur sportif Yvon Sanquer.{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cofidis-replaces-team-manager-after-poor-results-in-2017/ |title=Cofidis replaces team manager after poor results in 2017 |author= |date=26 October 2017 |website=cyclingnews.com|access-date=28 October 2017}}
On 10 July 2012, the first rest day in the 2012 Tour de France, French police raided the Cofidis team hotel, arresting French rider Rémy Di Gregorio{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportdome.nl/Nieuws/49929-Politie-valt-hotel-Cofidis-binnen--Di-Gregorio-gearresteerd.html|title = Politie valt hotel Cofidis binnen, di Grégorio gearresteerd}} on suspicion of doping.{{cite web |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1667744/Police-raid-Cofidis-cycling-team-hotel-on-Tour-de-France |title=Cofidis rider arrested as police raid team hotel {{!}} SBS World News |website=www.sbs.com.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710191623/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1667744/Police-raid-Cofidis-cycling-team-hotel-on-Tour-de-France |archive-date=2012-07-10}}
File:Antwerpen - Tour de France, étape 3, 6 juillet 2015, départ (039).JPG in his Cofidis jersey at the 2015 Tour de France]]
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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/cycling-weeklys-2014-2015-transfer-index-132202|title = Latest news from the world of cycling | Cycling Weekly}}
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.
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/viviani-back-in-the-saddle-and-preparing-for-2020-with-cofidis/|title=Viviani back in the saddle and preparing for 2020 with Cofidis|last=Farrand|first=Stephen|date=22 November 2019|website=Cycling News|access-date=4 December 2019}}
Starting with the 2023 season the team will be riding Look bicycles.{{Cite web |author1=Daniel Ostanek |date=2022-10-26 |title=Cofidis switch back to Look bikes for 2023 |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cofidis-switch-back-to-look-bikes-for-2023/ |access-date=2023-01-07 |website=cyclingnews.com }}
Team roster
{{Updated|8 January 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.uci.org/team-details/20238|title=Cofidis|publisher=UCI|access-date=8 January 2025}}}}
{{Cycling squad start}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Piet Allegaert|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|1|20}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Stanisław Aniołkowski|nat=POL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1997|1|20}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Alex Aranburu|nat=ESP|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|9|19}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Emanuel Buchmann|nat=GER|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|11|18}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Simon Carr|nat=GBR|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|8|29}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Bryan Coquard|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|4|25}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Aimé De Gendt|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1994|6|17}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Nicolas Debeaumarché|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|2|24}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Valentin Ferron|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|2|8}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Eddy Finé|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1997|11|20}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Milan Fretin|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2001|3|19}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Jesús Herrada|nat=ESP|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1990|7|26}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Ion Izagirre|nat=ESP|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1989|2|4}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Clément Izquierdo|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2002|2|16}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Oliver Knight|nat=GBR|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2001|1|25}}}}
{{Cycling squad mid}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Jonathan Lastra|nat=ESP|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1993|6|3}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Jan Maas|nat=NED|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|2|19}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Nolann Mahoudo|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2002|11|17}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Sam Maisonobe|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2003|9|8}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Sylvain Moniquet|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|1|14}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Stefano Oldani|nat=ITA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1998|1|10}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Paul Ourselin|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1994|4|13}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Anthony Perez|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1991|4|22}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Alexis Renard|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1999|6|1}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Ludovic Robeet|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1994|5|22}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Sergio Samitier|nat=ESP|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|8|31}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Dylan Teuns|nat=BEL|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|3|1}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Benjamin Thomas|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|9|12}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Hugo Toumire|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|2001|10|5}}}}
{{Cycling squad rider|name=Damien Touzé|nat=FRA|birthdate={{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|7|7}}}}
{{Cycling squad end}}
Major wins
{{Main|List of Cofidis wins}}
National champions
{{palmares start}}
;2000
:20px Luxembourgish Time Trial, Stève Fogen
;2001
:20px Estonian Road Race, Janek Tombak
;2003
:20px Australian Road Race, Stuart O'Grady
:20px Estonian Road Race, Janek Tombak
;2005
:20px French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
;2006
:20px French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
;2008
:20px French Time Trial, Sylvain Chavanel
;2009
:20px Estonian Road Race, Rein Taaramäe
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramäe
;2010
:20px Estonian Road Race, Kalle Kriit
;2011
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramäe
;2012
:20px Latvian Road Race, Aleksejs Saramotins
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Rein Taaramäe
;2013
:20px Estonian Road Race, Rein Taaramäe
;2014
:20px French U23 Cyclo-cross, Clément Venturini
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Gert Jõeäär
;2015
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Gert Jõeäär
:20px Estonian Road Race, Gert Jõeäär
;2016
:20px Estonian Time Trial, Gert Jõeäär
;2017
:20px French Cyclo-cross, Clément Venturini
;2018
:20px Eritrean Time Trial, Daniel Teklehaimanot
;2019
:20px Eritrean Road Race, Natnael Berhane
{{Div col end}}
See also
{{Commons category|Team Cofidis}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.equipe-cofidis.com}}
{{Cofidis riders}}
{{Cofidis seasons}}
{{UCI Professional Continental teams}}
{{UCI WorldTeams}}
{{Tour de France team classification winners}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Cycling teams based in France
Category:Former UCI Professional Continental teams