">We need to try to widen the gap on Uno-X Mobility as quickly as possible," says Milan Fretin. Thor Hushovd's team is Cofidis' closest and, realistically, only challenger. "It's going to be difficult, because the Norwegians are riding incredibly strongly this season. But I still have ambitions for a number of sprint races in my own country. Alex Aranburu has been picking up a lot of points in the big races lately. It will have to come from the two of us."

>According to his teammate Piet Allegaert, the points battle is a major issue within the team of manager Cedric Vasseur. "The pressure from sponsor Cofidis is immense. Budget-wise, things will likely change considerably if we're no longer a WorldTour team. That's why they have to wait to contact riders for 2026. It's now a matter of giving it our all until the end of October, and then we'll see where we stand."

>Fretin: "In the group chat, we regularly get reminders about how important the sponsor considers that WorldTour license. And if you don't score one weekend, you notice there's more disappointment than if we were in a normal situation."

top kek what an absolute clown team