"That inevitably has consequences for the sport"; Cofidis director sees team relegated and points to a much bigger issue

Raphaël Jeune, the new general manager of Cofidis, spoke to RMC the day after it became clear that his team had been relegated from the WorldTour. The French former rider looked back on the last period with pride. “The Cofidis team has worked extremely hard over the past three weeks. I saw a very strong team and could count on them.”

That is why Jeune remains very confident about the future. “I want to tell you that the future lies ahead of us. Now we have to move on with young athletes, and I'm not worried. I think we will build something substantial at Cofidis,” he said combatively.

“It's important for the riders, staff, and partners to compete in the biggest races in the world, and that's what we'll do,” says the former pro rider. “Now that our status is changing from WorldTour to ProTeam, that will change too, of course, but again, the main goal is to be able to compete in the biggest races in the world.”

As one of the highest-scoring ProTeams, Cofidis will be invited to the biggest races. That's important because that's where the team wants to shine. “Races like Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, and the three Grand Tours... we'll be there. With, I would even say, a slight advantage, because we can choose which races we do and don't do.”

Either way, there doesn't seem to be a radical change of course coming. “Things have been going well since three weeks ago, and since my arrival. As I said before, the team's performances over the last three weeks and the team mentality have been really attacking and collective. I could really count on a united group, and we have to continue on this path.”

However, Jeune also knows: “Sport is a daily challenge, so we will have to work hard after this very harsh winter to get 2026 off to the best possible start.” The Frenchman also dares to look a little further ahead. “When we talk about the slightly more distant future, the goal is to return to the World Tour in 2029.”

“Looking back at the medium-term goals, the Cofidis team will have to get up and running with the new riders,” Jeune knows. “We have new riders who will be announced soon, and some have already been announced, so we will have to build a solid group.”

According to the team boss, everything will be fine, mainly because of the team spirit at Cofidis. “Once again, the team has shown its strength, so we will continue in this direction and work to ensure that Cofidis can return to the top of the rankings. I have every confidence in this and am very calm about what lies ahead.”

For Cofidis, this resulted in relegation from the WorldTour, while the French Arkéa-B&B Hotels team will disappear from the peloton altogether. “We are indeed seeing French cycling going through a difficult period,” Jeune explains. According to the Frenchman, the problem is bigger and not limited to cycling.

“I think it's an economic pause, and we can clearly see that the global economy is struggling at the moment, so that inevitably has consequences for sport,” explains the team boss. “Especially for cycling, where the teams are struggling. But on the other hand, we have Paul Magnier shining in China, Paul Seixas, Sam Maisonobe, and Clément Izquierdo, so these talented young riders are securing the future of French cycling.”