The season officially kicked off last night Cofidis. At the Roubaix velodrome, not far from the team headquarters, the team that we have seen parading in the peloton for 27 seasons was presented. But 2024 promises to be a special year: twelve men leaving and twelve arriving. A true revolution has involved Cofidis and for this reason we asked Roberto Damiani, The French team's longtime sporting director, what's happening? The change is significant, and this requires a lot of adaptation and involvement.
Cofidis, among other things, is not sailing in very calm waters regarding the team points classification, it is fourteenth. In the lower parts of the top 18 the gaps are very short, so when there are similar revolutions and men like them leave Simone Consonni o victor lafay, every situation must be carefully evaluated.
Roberto, twelve riders leaving and just as many arriving. Quite a lot. Have you ever experienced a revolution like this?
More than anything, it was an almost obligatory choice. It is a fact that 5 of the 12 starters were at the end of their careersRather than a revolution, I would rather speak of a change in the name of continuity. Last year we changed very little, this year more.
But you're losing some important names. Above all, Simone Consonni, Victor Lafay, and Davide Cimolai...
They are choices. With all the love I have for him and the excellent human relationship we have, I believe that a cycle had come to an end for Simone. And the same goes for David. For Cimolai The work he was supposed to do with Consonni himself fell through. It was the team's decision not to renew his contract. As for Lafay, it was his choice. He had already considered the idea of changing teams last year, but then he found himself happy. And I think it was also evident at the Tour.
Absolutely, and in fact replacing him isn't easy…
He has great qualities, but not in terms of consistency of performance. We made him a great offer, but there were those who offered him much more. I also think that if an athlete has to stay just for the money, it's better for him to leave. Whoever signed him made a great purchase; I just hope he doesn't beat our athletes!
But looking at it positively, you've signed some promising riders, and as Italians we're thinking especially of Stefano Oldani, who on paper should also have a certain space...
I am convinced that oldani over time he will prove to be Cofidis' best purchase for 2024-2025. I have already started working with him and I was amazed by his determination. Yes, he'll have the space he didn't have before. Rightly so, in his previous team, he was surrounded by riders of the caliber of Van der Poel. Furthermore, He comes to us during the rider's good years: he is in his fifth season as a professionalWe want to support him as best we can and he wants to get involved.
Who do you expect to do well besides Oldani?
I think about Axel Zingle, I think he could be a nice surprise, even for the classics. Every year he's brought home two or three victories, and that's already a lot. We had him compete in the Tour knowing full well it would be tough for him, but we also knew it would be a very important experience, something you can only have there if you want to race at a certain level. Then For the sprints I think Alexis Renard is good, up until now he had worked for Coquard, now he too will be more free. Then there are experienced riders like the izaguirre e Ben Hermans, the latter arrived this year. He like this, like Elissonde, we took them because we were a bit light for the climb. Hermans and Elissonde will be close to our two leaders, Ion Izaguirre and Guillaume Martin.
In this context, with five athletes at the end of their careers, the average age has also dropped…
We took Oliver Knight, a young Englishman who is very good at pace and time trials. We hired him as an intern in Luxembourg this summer, and he fit in well. And, guys, this is what we could do with our budget, let's face it. Until they put a cap on wages, we will continue to have two or three super teams that win almost everything and have overwhelming power. Okay, congratulations to the Jumbo Visma for his three Grand Tours, but this isn't attractive for sport. We've seen it in Formula 1, in football... In the end, the rankings are made by the wallet and the fans get disheartened.
In this context, Roberto, you, as sporting directors, also take on an even more important role, both in running tactics and in creating the lineups. With points at stake, you'll have to be sharpshooters...
Surely every misjudgment will be paid dearly in terms of points, just as a right action will bring peace of mind. In this context, the quality of those who know how to decide, choose and manage the riders and the team in general emerges. Even though it has changed radically over the years, the role of the sports director remains important. I always say: "The sports director is the only fundamental figure in cycling." Because you can have the best team in the world, you might be missing a masseur or a rider, but if the sports director's license isn't on the referee's table at the start, the team won't start. Fortunately, I have to say that with the team manager Cedric Vasseur there is a great spirit of collaboration and we all decide together: both when we make mistakes and when we do well.
