{"id":241182,"date":"2026-04-30T19:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T19:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/30\/you-can-feel-the-difference-this-year-after-being-relegated-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-new-strategy-for-points-is-paying-off\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T19:03:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T19:03:12","slug":"you-can-feel-the-difference-this-year-after-being-relegated-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-new-strategy-for-points-is-paying-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/30\/you-can-feel-the-difference-this-year-after-being-relegated-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-new-strategy-for-points-is-paying-off\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;You can feel the difference this year&#8217; &#8211; After being relegated from the WorldTour, Cofidis&#8217; new strategy for points is paying off"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-7e5f7e28-59c7-42d9-863e-5e99186e06ef\">After the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/final-results-of-2025-road-racing-season-indicate-cofidis-set-to-leave-worldtour\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/final-results-of-2025-road-racing-season-indicate-cofidis-set-to-leave-worldtour\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/final-results-of-2025-road-racing-season-indicate-cofidis-set-to-leave-worldtour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cofidis team were relegated from the WorldTour<\/a> at the end of the 2023-2025 ranking period, the French outfit made sweeping changes to their management and calendar that have turned their fortunes around.<\/p>\n<p>Under <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/at-risk-of-relegation-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-part-ways-with-manager-cedric-vasseur\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/at-risk-of-relegation-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-part-ways-with-manager-cedric-vasseur\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/news\/at-risk-of-relegation-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-part-ways-with-manager-cedric-vasseur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new General Manager Raphael Jeune<\/a>, Cofidis have already won six times this year &#8211; most recently winning <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-of-turkey-stanislaw-aniolkowski-speeds-to-first-win-in-three-years-in-stage-4-bunch-sprint-finish\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-of-turkey-stanislaw-aniolkowski-speeds-to-first-win-in-three-years-in-stage-4-bunch-sprint-finish\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/tour-of-turkey-stanislaw-aniolkowski-speeds-to-first-win-in-three-years-in-stage-4-bunch-sprint-finish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stage 4 of the Presidential Tour of Turkey<\/a> with Stanis\u0142aw Anio\u0142kowski &#8211; and are ranked 13th in the most recent UCI Team Rankings.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-7e5f7e28-59c7-42d9-863e-5e99186e06ef-2\">&#8220;Losing the WorldTour license was a difficult moment for the whole team,&#8221; Anio\u0142kowski told <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/nieuws\/worldtour-degradatie-heeft-cofidis-aan-denken-gezet-uci-punten-misschien-belangrijker-dan-een-zege\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.wielerflits.nl\/nieuws\/worldtour-degradatie-heeft-cofidis-aan-denken-gezet-uci-punten-misschien-belangrijker-dan-een-zege\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Wielerflits.nl<\/em><\/a>. &#8220;But our sponsor still has faith in us. We had three less-than-good years, and eventually we were relegated by a margin of only 300 points [actually 397 -ed], I believe. We kept fighting until the final races in China and Japan, but unfortunately, it didn&#8217;t work out. That was a lesson for us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-continues-below block py-2 text-sm\">Article continues below <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"inline-block w-2.5 h-2.5 ml-2\" fill=\"currentColor\" preserveaspectratio=\"xMidYMid meet\" viewbox=\"0 0 1000 1000\"><path d=\"M1000 100L500 900 0 100h1000z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">For much of last season, Cofidis were in a tight back-and-forth battle with Uno-X Mobility for the final WorldTour licence for 2026 through 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Now racing as a ProTeam, the team are no longer obligated to race a full WorldTour schedule, although as a top ProTeam, WorldTour race organisers are obligated to extend them an invitation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Over the last three years, Cofidis raced more than any other team, averaging 121 races each year compared to bigger budget teams like Ineos, who raced just 59 on average, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG, who averaged 95.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Additionally, their packed calendar was raced by the same maximum 30-rider roster as the other WorldTour teams, putting a lot of added stress and fatigue on each rider.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ctSpGADSU6kGzxVxaVae5C\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-ctSpGADSU6kGzxVxaVae5C slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">This year, they&#8217;ve pared back their top-level schedule, skipping the Giro d&#8217;Italia, and only racing 17 WorldTour races compared with 34 last year, and only 83 races total.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;As a team, we also have to do all the French races,&#8221; climber Emanuel Buchmann told the Dutch news outlet. &#8220;Last year, we had to ride all the WorldTour races and I think that was a bit too much for us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&#8220;It is good that we are only doing two Grand Tours this year. You can feel the difference this year, because everyone has fewer race days and is fresher at the start. That makes a big difference. Of course, the points are important. We want to get back to the WorldTour, that is the goal, so we are really fighting for those UCI points this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The team started the year strongly, with a victory in the GP de Marseille with Bryan Coquard, a stage of Ruta del Sol with Milan Fretin, the GP Miguel Indurain with veteran Ion Izagirre and a stage in Itzulia with Alex Aranburu.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As you can see, we have started this season very well, because we are now somewhere around the top 10 of this year&#8217;s team ranking [13th &#8211; ed],&#8221; Anio\u0142kowski said. &#8220;We have changed our mentality. We have a new plan and we are following that plan.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-ee7dd844-ef54-44db-a9ba-648bee65591f\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><iframe allow=\"\" height=\"600px\" width=\"100%\" id=\"\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px;\" class=\"position-center\" data-lazy-priority=\"low\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/28101727\/embed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-54161421-d2bb-462c-8516-d0a657939cd0\">Cofidis are currently far ahead of Picnic-PostNL, who only managed their first win in Turkey on Thursday and are 2,194 points behind 18th-ranked Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9. ProTeams TotalEnergies, Tudor and Pinarello-Q36.5 are ahead of the German WorldTour team, too.<\/p>\n<p>A focus on scoring points over victories runs counter to the philosophy of ex-manager C\u00e9dric Vasseur, and appears to be paying off.<\/p>\n<p>Sylvain Moniquet is looking on the bright side, noting that his programme of ProSeries races gives him more freedom to fight for points.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am really motivated for those points. I would love to go to the Tour [de France], but I also have a nice program in this team where I sometimes get a free role,&#8221; Moniquet said to <em>Wielerflits<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Cofidis can&#8217;t call their three-year project to rejoin the WorldTour a success quite yet. They were 15th at the end of 2023 but finished the next two years in 20th in the UCI Team Rankings. They will have to continue to fight for every point.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Those points are perhaps even more important than a victory,&#8221; Moniquet said. &#8220;Look at the Tour of Turkey: Stan wins, but I don&#8217;t know how many points that is, 25 maybe? Turkey is not the biggest race on the calendar, but we always have to ride a good general classification for the points; that is really important. Even in ProSeries races.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year&#8217;s Giro d&#8217;Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! <\/strong><\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=Giro26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=Giro26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=Giro26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><em><strong>Find out more<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/a><em><strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/you-can-feel-the-difference-this-year-after-being-relegated-from-the-worldtour-cofidis-new-strategy-for-points-is-paying-off\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the Cofidis team were relegated from the WorldTour at the end of the 2023-2025 ranking period, the French outfit made sweeping changes to their management and calendar that have turned their fortunes around. Under new General Manager Raphael Jeune, Cofidis have already won six times this year &#8211; most recently winning stage 4 of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241182","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}