Cofidis have confirmed the inclusion of Axel Zingle for the upcoming Tour de France, dispelling rumours that the French cyclist might be left out. Despite speculation, Zingle, who will join Visma-Lease A Bike next season, has secured his spot in the lineup for the Grand Départ in Firenze, Italy on 1st July.
Zingle, 25, will make his Tour debut alongside Belgian Piet Allegaert. Both riders will primarily support fellow Frenchman Bryan Coquard in the sprint finishes, according to a team press release. However, Zingle will also have opportunities on the hillier stages.
Coquard, fresh from his first win of the season at the Tour de Suisse, aims to clinch a bunch sprint victory and his first Grand Tour stage win. Coquard’s career has spanned over a decade, starting in 2013, and a Tour de France stage victory remains a key goal.
Photo Credit: GettyExperienced Support and Balanced Formation
The team will also feature experienced riders like former Tour de France mountains classification leader Simon Geschke, who is set to retire at the end of the season, and double Tour stage winner Ion Izagirre. Jesus Herrada, the former Spanish national champion, and Guillaume Martin, the French General Classification (GC) contender and philosophy writer, complete the lineup.
Cofidis general manager Cédric Vasseur, a former Tour de France stage winner himself, highlighted the team’s strategy: “Our team is, above all, going to be looking for stage victories. It’s a balanced formation: for the sprints, we’ll work for Bryan Coquard and he can count on Alexis Renard, Piet Allegaert and Alex Zingle. In another part of the race, Guillaume Martin will have three riders to back him whenever the road steepens: Ion Izagirre, Jesus Herrada and Simon Geschke.”
Cofidis 2024 Tour de France Team
- Piet Allegaert
- Bryan Coquard
- Simon Geschke
- Jesus Herrada
- Ion Izagirre
- Guillaume Martin
- Alexis Renard
- Axel Zingle
Main photo credit: SprintCyclingAgency
