UAE Team Emirates – XRG have managed to win almost 100 pro races this year and next season they may achieve that taking into consideration their new signings. Benoît Cosnefroy is a proven winner, and if the Emirati team is able to get the Frenchman into his best form, then he can certainly boost those numbers in the classics and hilly races. He has in the meantime already been able to meet his new team and Tadej Pogacar…
“With my injuries, it complicated the transfer window, but it was the last chance to stay at the highest level,” Cosnefroy said in words to La Presse de la Manche. “There was a desire for change, to turn over a new leaf. It’s never easy to leave, but I needed a new dynamic. I’m forging my own path, riding for pleasure, and focused on what matters most: myself and those around me.”
Decathlon is turning a page in its history and squad, changing leaders fully and having Paul Seixas as their new big hope for the future. Men who’ve been with the team for a long time such as Nans Peters (retiring), Victor Lafay (considering retirement) and Benoìt Cosnefroy are not going to be part of it anymore. And Cosnefroy, a pure puncheur, has struggled to keep finding success in a World Tour calendar that has less opportunities for his skillset.
Furthermore, with the likes of Pogacar, Evenepoel and more becoming top puncheurs, there are less opportunities for someone like Cosnefroy to perform in the Ardennes and similar races – which become more and more climber-oriented.
Cosnefroy is another classics specialist that will give UAE the chance to take more wins. @Sirotti
But now, Cosnefroy will be on the side of the dominating rider – and team. “I met Tadej Pogacar and everyone else. When you join a team like UAE, you know there will be criticism, but I’ve also received a lot of support,” he admits. “I met Tadej and everyone else; there’s a real sense of camaraderie”.
His transfer came as a surprise, and a new change of pace for the veteran, who now enters UAE without a certain role he admits: “I don’t yet know exactly what my role will be, but I’m confident in what I’ve found here.”Taking into consideration how other puncheurs such as Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez have thrived in the team and even as right-hand men for Pogacar, it will be interesting to see if Cosnefroy could even potentiallt evolve into such a domestique role.