Cosnefroy takes victory at Morbihan as UAE's Giro squad is decimated
Benoît Cosnefroy gave UAE Team Emirates-XRG something to smile about on a brutal day for the team, winning the Grand Prix du Morbihan for a fourth time on the Côte de Cadoudal. The 30-year-old Frenchman edged out Decathlon CMA CGM duo Noa Isidore and Paul Lapeira in a sprint at the top of the climb in Plumelec.
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It is Cosnefroy's third consecutive win at the race and his first in UAE colours since joining the team this winter. He now stands alone as the record holder of the French Cup classic, with previous wins in 2019, 2024 and 2025.
The race came alive in the final 30 kilometres after the day's break of Jean-Loup Fayolle, Antonio Jesús Soto and Max Nielsen was reeled in. Daniel Cavia and then Norway's Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg tried to go solo, but the latter was caught with around 8 kilometres to go, setting up the expected showdown on Cadoudal. Decathlon outnumbered Cosnefroy on the final climb but could not match his punch.
While the bright spot landed in Brittany, UAE were having a nightmare in Bulgaria. On stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia, between Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo, a mass pile-up with around 22 kilometres to go brought down more than 30 riders on wet, slippery roads. UAE were hit hardest of all, with five of their eight riders going down and only Mikkel Bjerg escaping it.
Marc Soler and Jay Vine, both expected to play key roles in the team's GC and stage hunting plans, were taken to hospital by ambulance and abandoned the race. Adam Yates, the team's main GC card, also crashed and lost a significant amount of time, his overall hopes effectively gone before the race has even left Bulgaria.
Outside of the UAE camp, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility) were the other two riders forced out by the crash.
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