![\"benoitcosnefroy\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/benoitcosnefroy-65d278d7987c6.jpg@webp.webp\")
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It was exactly the attitude UAE were looking for. \u201cHonestly! He immediately showed outstanding personal qualities, and I really appreciated that,\u201d Gianetti says.<\/p>\n
Straight to the Colnago workshop<\/p>\n
While race plans will only be finalised in December, UAE wasted no time in beginning Cosnefroy\u2019s integration. The Frenchman has already visited the team\u2019s service course, with early positional work carried out on his new Colnago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve started with a soft approach \u2014 we first reproduced the measurements from his old bike and adapted them to the Colnago, but we\u2019ve already made some small adjustments to his position. The rest will come with time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those tweaks mark the beginning of a project that UAE believe can reignite a rider who, across the last four seasons, has proven himself as one of the peloton\u2019s most dangerous puncheurs. Victories at Brabantse Pijl, multiple wins at the Grand Prix du Morbihan, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Qu\u00e9bec and the Bretagne Classic have defined Cosnefroy as a master of hilly one-day terrain \u2014 yet 2025 allowed him little chance to display it, with knee problems reducing him to just 13 race days.<\/p>\n
Even so, he arrives with ambition and honesty. He has already told his fan club not to expect a Tour de France selection, stressing he is joining the world\u2019s strongest team with humility and patience rather than entitlement.<\/p>\n
That mindset resonates strongly with Gianetti. \u201cThe idea that a rider wants to keep growing, experimenting, improving shows that he\u2019s still switched on. He will probably be used mainly in a support role at first\u2026 but if Benoit performs strongly, he will absolutely get more opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Cosnefroy is a proven one-day threat<\/p>\n
Replacing Covi and adding a new dimension<\/p>\n
From a sporting perspective, Cosnefroy has a clear place in the team\u2019s structure. \u201cHe\u2019s a rider who in some ways replaces Alessandro Covi: someone every team would love to have, because he can help but he can also win\u2026 A rider like this can perform well in both one-day races and week-long stage races. He can attack, he can go in breakaways, and he can work at high intensity \u2014 particularly on hilly terrain or climbs of 10\u201315 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That combination \u2014 explosiveness, tactical intelligence, work capacity \u2014 is exactly why UAE foresee him fitting seamlessly into a roster built around Tadej Pogacar. During their recent days together in the Emirates, the staff saw a rider already embracing the culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was delighted \u2014 calm, happy with the decision he\u2019d made\u2026 He settled in right away. I saw him bright, relaxed, talking with everyone. And I think he enjoyed himself. I\u2019m confident \u2014 he seems like a great signing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A fresh start for a rider who \u201cis still alive\u201d<\/p>\n
For Cosnefroy, who admitted to La Presse de la Manche that his injuries \u201ccomplicated the market\u201d and that this transfer was \u201cthe last chance to stay at the highest level\u201d, the move is as much about revival as it is opportunity.<\/p>\n
Gianetti sees exactly that. \u201cThis determination is what keeps him alive and young, even though next season he\u2019ll be approaching 31.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suppose UAE\u2019s early work on his position and integration is any indication. In that case, Cosnefroy\u2019s reset may turn into a renaissance \u2014 and one of the World Tour\u2019s most consistent puncheurs may soon be taking aim at major one-day races once again, this time in the colours of cycling\u2019s strongest, and most successful team.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was exactly the attitude UAE were looking for. \u201cHonestly! He immediately showed outstanding personal qualities, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[129542,49,48,635,129544,129543,82,129545],"class_list":["post-285340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-benoit-cosnefroy","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-decathlon-ag2r-la-mondiale-team","tag-mauro-gianetti","tag-sports","tag-uae-team-emirates-xrg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}