The season 2022 of Cofidis started on 26 last January during the Mallorca Challenge. We find there in particular Jesus Herrada, or still Simon Geschke. Ensuite, it was the first race, on French soil with the Grand Prix la Marseillaise, or, Bryan Coquard came to take the 6The Tour of the Pays de Vaud place, a little locked in the end. But above all, we had to remember the good performance of Guillaume Martin, definitely the strongest. He attacked in the peloton about thirty kilometers from the finish and came back on the breakaways, all alone. He countered them, in the Gineste without anyone being able to follow him. The Norman, 8The Tour of the Pays de Vaud of the Tour, and 9The Tour of the Pays de Vaud of the Tour of Spain starts its season well.
The team led by Cédric vasseur, unveiled his new jersey with white and red, very classy and refined does this jersey give Cofidis wings ? In any case, the dynamics are good and this has been demonstrated conclusively on the Étoile de Bessèges. With the rooster's first victory, after an unsustainable lactic effort and beautiful to see. He beat, former world champion Mads Pedersen or Alberto Bettiol, winner of the round. Benjamin thomas, his, came to pick a beautiful 6The Tour of the Pays de Vaud place, a presentiment for the next day. The next day, Cofidis has struck again. And this time, it's Benjamin Thomas, also track rider, who imposed himself. At the top of the last difficulty, he takes the lead and makes the descent, certainly aggressive, but Thomas knew him, he spotted him. The fall behind of Richard Carapaz and a rider from Kern Pharma will make the peloton cautious. The Cofidis runner will isolate himself with Alberto Bettiol and Tobias Johannessen. In the end, Benjamin Thomas will attack to avoid a sprint and will raise his arms. On the timeline of Alès, he will finish 2nd behind Filippo Ganna but will win the Étoile de Bessèges. This is the very good start to the season for the Cofidis team. Who must now confirm on the World Tour events like Paris Nice or on the race of the two seas, next march.
THE FAILURE OF THE SPRINT WITH ELIA VIVIANI ?
The winter transfer window has borne these fruits. Benjamin Thomas and Bryan Coquard, the two winners, both arrived this winter. Cédric Vasseur may be very happy after a complicated season in the sprint. After recruiting Elia Viviani at the start 2020 to win in World Tour, the successes were not present. 0 victories in 2020. Yet present on the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France. Elia Viviani was put in good condition, but a predominant impression: head in the olympics Indeed, also track rider, the olympic games canceled in 2020. Maybe he was distracted. In 2021, his latest at Cofidis is better, 5 victories. Cholet Pays de Loire, two in Poitou-Charente, the Fourmies Grand Prix, GP d'Isbergues here are these victories. And we can see that these are not World Tour races.
GUILLAUME MARTIN PERFORMING WITHOUT REALLY BEING
The Norman, resident in Dives-sur-Mer had a good season, according to the stats anyway. Winner of the Mercan Tour Classique in May, his first with Cofidis. The sequel will spoil, a fall on the Critérium du Dauphiné will bother him for the rest and the high mass in July. Coming for the stage victories, he will finally beat his best results on the general classifications : 8The Tour of the Pays de Vaud. Without winning stages. He will then go, on the Tour of Spain with the desire to make a good general classification, it's in his nature he says. He will finish 9The Tour of the Pays de Vaud, but in pain. This season is better than 2020 from a stats point of view but in terms of sensations, Guillaume was less impactful compared to 2020. In 2020, he will discover the Tour of Italy to play the general classification. Before that he will do the Tour du Haut-Var, the Drôme-Ardêches loops, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of Catalonia, and the Ardennes. He will do the Tour de France and will not go to the Tour of Spain.
Guillaume Martin during the team presentation
AMBITIONS 2022
With a stronger collective in the sprint with the arrivals of Max Walscheid and Davide Cimolai, they should be competitive. In addition to Simone Consonni and Bryan Coquard. There will not be a single runner protected. A bit like Patrick Lefévère's Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. The loss of Christophe Laporte is a hard cost, but replace with an ambitious rooster. On the cobblestones the German Max Walscheid, 12The Tour of the Pays de Vaud of the last Paris-Roubaix will be the leader with Jelle Wallays, André Carvahlo or even Piet Allegaert. But it's in the mountains, that we expect them around Guillaume Martin. With Ion Izagirre, Anthony Perez, Pierre-Luc Perichon, Rémy Rochas, Davide Villela, or the other Norman François Bidard. The Cofidis team will be very homogeneous. Benjamin Thomas will strengthen the time trial with also the Spaniard Ion Izagirre, winner of the three Grand Tours.
The Cofidis team, still evolving in its history and which re-entered the World Tour in 2020 improves year after year, the time of Dani Navarro, or Nacer Bouhanni is over and that's good. Since the arrival of Cédric Vasseur, and after Yvon Sanquer, a new era is coming and it looks radiant. Nevertheless, there is bread under the plank, since she is in the hot seat concerning the ascents and descents in Continental Pro. She ends 19The Tour of the Pays de Vaud in 2021 of the World Tour classification by team. If she stays there, in 2023 it will no longer be World Tour with the pressure put by Arkéa-Samsic or Total Energies
