Five in and five out for French Professional Continental team
Cofidis has finalised its roster for the 2011 season, its sixteenth in the professional peloton, with twenty-eight riders once more, according to l’Equipe. The French team, which held a first division or ProTour license until 2010, will once again join the ranks of the Professional Continental teams in the second division, but should still be all but guaranteed wildcard invitations to the biggest French races, including the Tour de France.
Five riders will join the team in 2012, with 26-year-old Basque Egoïtz Garcia Etxegibel the latest name to be added, having spent the past two years with Caja Rural. Already announced were the acquisitions of Rémy Di Gregorio from Astana, Jan Ghyselinck form HTC-Highroad, Edwig Cammaerts from Landbouwkrediet, and 22-year-old neo-pro Rudy Molard.
Despite the incoming riders, the teams roster will remain static at twenty-eight, with five riders leaving the team. Tony Gallopin is heading to RadioShack-Nissan-Trek, Julien El Farès and Rémy Cusin are both off to Team Type 1-Aventis, and Jens Keukeleire heads to new Australian team GreenEDGE.
Belgian Kevyn Ista will not be staying with the team in 2012, although his destination has yet to be decided. According to la Derniere Heure though, the Belgain has had “some proposals from Professional Continental teams.”
This year the team was unsuccessful in its biggest race, the Tour de France, with David Moncoutié’s second place behind World champion Thor Hushovd into Lourdes its best result. It made amends in the Vuelta a España though, where Cofidis is also a sponsor, where Moncoutié and Estonian Rein Taaramäe both picked up victories, with the Frenchman adding his fourth consecutive mountains jersey.
The team’s most prolific victor in 2011 though, has so far been diminutive puncheur/sprinter Samuel Dumoulin, who has taken six wins to date, including two stages of the WorldTour Volta a Catalunya and the overall Paris-Corrèze.
An optimistic note for the future is that the team’s second youngest rider, the recently turned 21-year-old Adrien Petit, took the silver medal in the under-23 World championship road race, having led out compatriot Arnaud Demare (who is currently a stagiere with rival French team FDJ) for gold.