A sorrow season - Cofidis 2025 verdict

Cofidis' aims heading into the 2025 season would have been to aim to secure their safety within the UCI WorldTour and to showcase their ability within the top races in the World, as they have done for a long time in professional cycling.

With new riders entering the team as well, to blend together with the already very experienced riders there, you would have expected Cofidis to be free from the doom and gloom of relegation out of the UCI WorldTour and all of the financial consequences that can bring.

Wins: 9
UCI Ranking: 20th
The Verdict: 4/10

2025 started off with a bang for Cofidis as, within the opening month of the cycling season, the French outfit picked up four solid victories, beginning with Bryan Coquard rocketing to a sprint victory on the fourth stage of the Santos Tour Down Under, followed by victories at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille, Classica de Almeria and a stage at the Volta Algarve.

A month-long drought soon followed that, and that really became the case for the team during the rest of 2025, with a real lack of ability to get the job done to secure victories or even compete towards the top end of results. Alex Aranburu won a stage at Itzulia Basque Country in completely bonkers circumstances as the Spaniard was originally disqualified for not following the specified route on the roadbook, but after an appeal, it was proven that he took the correct route. 

After that, the season really fizzled out for Cofidis, with their last victory coming in August at Tour du Limousin-Périgord, with the team desperately spending the final third of the season chasing UCI points, with the outcome not what they desired as they were confirmed to be relegated for the next UCI cycle.

There is no doubt about it, if it wasn't for Alex Aranburu's efforts securing top placing in some of the biggest races in the cycling season, Cofidis would have been long gone out of the equation in regards to staying in the UCI WorldTour. With his points, the team were able to at least take it to the end of the season. 

Aranburu's victory at Itzulia Basque Country sums up the rider he is, a rider who is willing to dare to achieve big results, and if Cofidis had an entire team filled with that mindset, then the team would have been in a seriously beneficial position.

With 2025 being his first season at Cofidis, it is hoped that the team can pick up the qualities he has as a rider and distribute his attitude to the rest of the squad as they dust off to go again in the UCI ProTour, with wildcards to all WorldTour events.

Sergio Samitier has raced 88 times for Cofidis in the 2025 season.

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