Team Cofidis has experienced perhaps its worst season. The historic French team ended the season with just nine victories and was relegated from the WorldTour, Having finished twentieth in the rankings, this is quite a feat for a team that, despite lacking any great champions, has always stood out on the international cycling scene.
It was achieved the departure of team manager Cédric Vasseur and the arrival of Raphael Jeune. We talked about this reshuffle, about what the season has been and what it will be, with Roberto Damiani, sporting director and now a mainstay of the French team.
Roberto, so what kind of season was it?
A season that started off well all things considered well, at least until April, then we ran into trouble. The reason: I hate to make excuses, but something definitely didn't go right. We've all made mistakes, and as I always say, we all win and lose together. Everyone is responsible if things didn't go as we thought.
And now?
We've done our analysis and we can say that we'll start again with even more determination.
There has been a big change at the top: Cédric Vasseur out, Raphaël Jeune in...
It was a change decided from above, by Cofidis as a company. I arrived in this group eight years ago with Vasseur and I have always worked very well with him. But when they offered me a renewal, I decided to stay, because I want to continue giving my best. Cédric was my team manager before, now he's a friend. We still talk.
It's been said that Vasseur himself was overwhelmed by the stress of the points at one point in the season. Did this rub off on the rest of the team?
Of course, but tell me who, from tenth place down in the UCI ranking, was not overwhelmed by this fear, by this paranoia. There was real tension for everyone, not just us at Cofidis. Let's look at the teams we were battling against: XDS-Astana, Uno-X Mobility, Picnic-PostNL...Everyone has changed the way they race and manage races. How many races have you raced not to win but to score points? This has inevitably led to a reduction in the spectacle, and those who decided these rules must take responsibility. But if you're in deep water—and I say deep to say the least—you don't look at style to save yourself...
Let's imagine, precisely, that tension, that anxiety...
It was like this, months of tension. Months in which we wanted to do something, but we were in great difficulty. Then it must also be said that... To score points you need good and fit riders. For this reason too, at a certain point, we focused heavily on smaller races. At the same time, however, as a WorldTour team, we had to respect the calendar and our commitments in the French Cup. But it must be said that we weren't there in certain races. Al Tour de France, and you know how important it is for a French team, we just didn't exist. It was the worst of our three Grand Tours.
Roberto, you mentioned the analyses you conducted earlier: what emerged? What didn't work in practice?
As for the analysis, it was conducted with the team manager, the performance group, the doctors, the sporting directors, and the senior management. It was a 360-degree analysis. All of us—and when I say all, I mean from the riders to the masseurs, from the mechanics to the sporting directors—could and should have done more. However, faced with a season that didn't meet expectations, I want to say that Cofidis has not backed down, on the contrary... It has renewed its trust in us until 2028 for a decisive restart. Total trust.
And that's no small thing...
That's exactly what I was saying. That's quite a feat in a period when you're seeing teams folding, others merging. Because then one thinks about the riders, but there are many people who stay at homeWe're talking about professionalism, about companies. And for those who aren't riders, who earn less, it's even more difficult. Cofidis, on the other hand, told us: "Okay, it didn't go well, it's not going well, but let's roll up our sleeves and get out of this situation together."
Have you spoken to Jeune?
Certainly. Raphael came to follow the races in Italy at the end of the season. He spoke to the riders, to the staff, he introduced himself. He was the manager of look for team relations. He's now the general manager. There's been complete respect for roles right from the start. Discussions, as I mentioned before, have taken place with the various departments: sporting directors, performance group, doctors...
Here, performance group: we imagine that many things will change in this regard. Usually, in the end, they're held most responsible, right?
I don't consider them the most responsible, but I do consider them among those responsible. As I said before, everyone is responsible. What problems could there be? I'm thinking, for example, of the coaches' contact person, Mattia Michelusi, who had to change language. And even switching from Italian or English to French can be a limitation at first: certain things may not come out the same. It's always said that if the rider doesn't perform, it's the coach's fault: that's not the case. I could say that the sports director can also contribute.
That?
We too could have made different, more careful scheduling choices, based on our roster and the true value of our athletes. And here's a quick dig: We have considered leaders to be people who don't even know what this word means, both from an athletic and management perspective. How many points did we expect from these people that ultimately didn't arrive? A lot... Do you understand why I keep saying that everyone is responsible?
In short, we're heading into a new season with renewed confidence and mistakes that shouldn't be repeated. But there's also good news: you've signed an Italian, Edoardo ZamperiniWhat can you tell us about him? He's young, but today he's no longer considered very young...
No, no, let's not kid ourselves: Zamperini is young. This is a completely subjective aspect. There are those who are mature at 20 and those who perhaps never become so, even at 25. I must admit that I know very little about Edoardo and I can't wait to get to know him better.
How did the negotiation go?
It was proposed to Jeune by Arkea's sporting director, Sebastien Hinault. We were missing an "Italian flag" to add to our squad, and we seized the opportunity. As for the numbers and values, you'd have to ask Michelusi, who certainly knows them better than I do. However, I'd like to emphasize one thing.
Please…
I would like to thank the General Store-Essegibi, who despite having taken him when he was left without a team, was willing to give him up when this opportunity arose. Rosola and President Calosso were true gentlemen: they let him go when they realized he could aspire to a higher level. They told us: «We would also be happy to see him at the Tour next year».
