Benoît Cosnefroy completes move to UAE Team Emirates on two-year deal

Benoît Cosnefroy has completed a move to UAE Team Emirates, signing with the WorldTour’s top team on a two-year deal which will see him bolster the one-day Classics squad at the team until the end of 2027.

Cosnefroy was out of contract at Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, the team with which he turned pro in 2017 and had spent his entire career with to date.

He will link up with a strong one-day Classics unit at the Emirati team that already features the likes of Tim Wellens, who extended his contract with the team yesterday, Jhonatan Narvaez, and of course, Tadej Pogačar, for whom Cosnefroy could offer support in the hillier Classics, in the Ardennes. Cosnefroy’s impressive record in French one-day races could also offer UAE the opportunity to dominate in more one-day races, should they wish to beat their own record of 95 season victories, in 2026.

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Cosnefroy said of his move: ‘I’m very happy at the prospect of joining UAE Team Emirates–XRG, and very excited to become part of the best team in the world.

‘When Mauro Gianetti explained the project to me I saw it as the right challenge for me at this point in my career. From speaking with the team and the ambitions they have, it became clear that it could be a good fit and the right step to take.

‘I’m eager to begin this new chapter and can’t wait to start racing with my new teammates.’

The rider from Cherbourg completed just 13 race days in 2025, following further complications with a knee injury which saw him sidelined for the early part of the season.

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Cosnefroy’s strengths lie in his punchy finishes, a skill which saw him ride to seven wins in 2024, including a Classics victory at Brabantse Pijl, before his season ended prematurely following a crash at Renewi Tour in which he broke his collarbone.

The former U23 road world champion, Cosnefroy has served as a leader and talisman for the Decathlon squad which has gone from strength to strength in the past two seasons. He wore the polka dot jersey for 15 stages at the 2020 edition of the Tour de France and famously finished second at the 2023 edition of the Amstel Gold Race, having wrongly been declared the winner. He was later declared to have finished second following a review of the finish line photo, with Ineos Grenadiers’ Michal Kwiatkowski the victor.

Meanwhile Decathlon, who part ways with long-time sponsor AG2R La Mondiale at the end of the 2025 season, are rebuilding their squad around newly acquired sprinter Olav Kooij and future GC talent Paul Seixas.