"One of the best punchers in the world: returns after 8-month ordeal with a win and a flood of tears

Cosnefroy has proven time and again that he’s no ordinary rider. His palmarès already includes 21 victories, many of them on home soil. But in 2022, he also won the GP Québec in Canada, and just last year, he took the win at the Brabantse Pijl. He came literally a millimeter short of winning the Amstel Gold Race in 2022, an honor that instead went to Michal Kwiatkowski.

Last year, Cosnefroy broke his collarbone in the Renewi Tour, ending his season prematurely. Then came a frustrating knee injury over the winter, which required surgery in January. He only returned to competition at Romandie and lined up Thursday and Saturday at the Boucles de l’Aulne-Châteaulin and the Grand Prix du Morbihan. While he was narrowly beaten by Lewis Askey in the first, he made no mistake two days later, clinching victory in a powerful sprint on home soil.

After his victory, Cosnefroy broke down in tears. An eight-month ordeal had finally come to an end, and he wanted everyone to know it. “It’s symbolic that I’ve won here for the third time, it brings so much satisfaction. After the finish, you realize how many months of work it took to get back. I’ve been struggling for eight months, and all those emotions are coming back now. I knew I would return, but I didn’t know how long it would take to get back to my level,” he told L'Équipe.

It turned out to be a quick comeback. “I never held back in interviews and I knew the hard work would pay off, but I didn’t expect it to happen this fast. I couldn’t have wished for a better return.” His teammate Paul Lapeira also told L’Équipe, “I understand his tears, Benoît has been through tough times. But it shows we’re not robots.” Team director Cyril Dessel called him “one of the best punchers in the world.” He added, “This isn’t just an achievement, it’s a huge achievement.”