Cofidis and Coquard aim to capitalise on Pogačar's presence at the Vuelta a España by hoovering up sprints

The French Cofidis team has finalised its team for the Vuelta a España, which begins Saturday in Monaco. Bryan Coquard has been named the team’s undisputed leader, and the squad will primarily be aiming for stage wins.

Coquard has raced the Vuelta four times, but has never won a stage. This season’s race offers a few opportunities for sprinters who are reasonably strong on the climbs, though the competition—including Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan, and Mads Pedersen—is fierce. Cofidis has eight opportunities for Coquard, who shares responsibility for the sprint stages with Alexis Renard.

In addition to Coquard, who will also have Alex Kirsch and Paul Ourselin by his side in the flat stages, Louis Rouland, Sylvain Moniquet, and Emmanuel Buchmann will get their chances in the high mountains for Cofidis.

"Our main goal is to win a stage," says team director Gorka Gerrikagoitia. "We can count on Bryan Coquard, who has once again demonstrated his talent this year and is in top form," says the Basque about the rider, who has been sidelined since June.

"He can test his luck in both the sprint stages and the stages with a lot of explosive moves, which can also end in a sprint. Bryan can count on the entire team—especially Alexis Renard, Alex Kirsch, and Paul Ourselin—to be well-positioned for the final."

"As for the other stages, we know it will be very difficult to compete in the high-mountain stages against Tadej Pogacar. On the other hand, we’ll see how Emmanuel Buchmann, Sylvain Moniquet, and Louis Roulland create opportunities every day to get into breakaways and look for chances. And we’re going to give it our all for all 21 stages,” he concludes with determination.

Bryan Coquard
Alexis Renard
Alex Kirsch
Paul Ourselin
Sylvain Moniquet
Emmanuel Buchmann
Louis Rouland
Sergio Samitier