New teammate of Tadej Pogacar at UAE, the Frenchman, Benoît Cosnefroy, still had difficulty believing, this Saturday, that he was now part of “the best team in the world”. After a season undermined by injuries, the former rider of the Decathlon-AG2R team spoke about his summer transfer. “It’s crazy. I feel a bit like a gymnast who has successfully completed his somersault and falls with both feet while greeting everyone. »
Benoît Cosnefroy has not raced since the Tour de Suisse in June due to a knee injury. “Honestly, I didn’t see it coming. I always knew they were interested, but between being interested and signing the contract, the road is often long. When in September I had nothing, I admit that I was afraid,” declared the 30-year-old rider during the media day of his new team in Benidorm, Spain.
“In terms of my body, I feel good. In terms of my morale too. All the lights are green, but I don’t have enough work in my legs yet,” underlined the Norman puncher.
The Ardennes classics with Pogacar
Once announced at Picnic, Warren Barguil’s team, he finally signed for two seasons with UAE. The most powerful formation in the peloton recruited him to shine in one-day races.
“I’m going to run a lot of second-rate races. It suits me very well. I know that if I’m at my level. I will be able to play and win races. That’s why they took me anyway. They didn’t take me to climb the passes of the Tour de France in front,” announced Benoît Cosnefroy.
The Frenchman will therefore rarely take part in the same races as Tadej Pogacar, except for the Ardennes classics in April (La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège). “It’s super cool to be in his (Pogacar) team. There is no pressure since his personality is super detached from everything around him. He’s so cool and I was immediately made to feel welcome. »
No Grand Tour either, but the hopeful world champion is not frustrated: “Honestly, it’s not where I enjoy the most. » The Frenchman therefore hopes to shine in one-day races and rediscover the taste of victory under his new colors.
