Cofidis coach Cedric Vasseur admitted that his team faces pressure to maintain its WorldTour participation for the 2023 season. Cofidis finished the 2021 season 15th in the UCI ranking, but is currently 19th in the cumulative standings over the past two years. [Vasseur told L'Équipe magazine (open in new tab), "It is true that 12th was better than 19th, but there is no big difference between 16th and 20th," but insisted that in 2022 he will race for wins rather than UCI points.

"I refuse to ask the riders to start the race just to get points. I am asking them to do what it takes to win. If we are in this position today, it is because in 2020 some of our leaders did not live up to it."

"We have an obligation to deliver results and also to keep a close eye on the rankings so that we are not left behind. But we are not alone in this situation. Of course there is pressure. All we want is to compete in the UCI World Tour.

After a decade at the Pro Continental level, Cofidis returned to the World Tour at the start of 2020, acquiring Elia Viviani from Quick Step to solidify its place in the top flight. However, Viviani had a difficult two seasons at Cofidis.

Viviani failed to win a race in 2020, and after undergoing atrial ablation surgery earlier in the season, she returned to winning ways in 2021, but failed to win any of her seven races at the World Tour level. He won a bronze medal in the omnium at the Tokyo Olympics and then moved to Ineos on a three-year contract.

"From a sporting standpoint, Elia Viviani was a failure. On the other hand, I think he has helped us grow. He has been with some great teams before, instilled in them a way of working and helped us progress. But when you hire a rider like him, you hope that he will score 3,000 points in two years, not 1,200," Vassoul said.

Vassoul praised Viviani's professionalism "right up to the last race," but he acknowledged that the Italian could not replicate Quick Step's performance in Cofidis. He suggested that Viviani's fall at the Tour Down Under and the closure had put him out of shape for the 2020 season, now that the pandemic is under control.

"I spotted him at the start of the Tour de France. With that body fat percentage, it obviously didn't work out; it was a close season for the leader, who finishes the year with 200 points." Vassoul said.

"He had a satisfying year in 2021 with five wins, but not at the level of Elia Viviani. I don't blame him. It's just that his means were not what he had in quick step."

Christophe Laporte also left Cofidi during the off-season to join Jumbo Visma, while new signing Brian Coquard from B&B Hotels will be the team's lead sprinter in 2022.

"Laporte has been with us for eight years, and we have to accept that he wanted to go elsewhere," Vasseur said. 'We have to recover from this and find a replacement right away. Bryan Coquard would be a good replacement for Christophe Laporte and would be able to deliver results."

The 2022 Cofidis squad was announced in Paris on Thursday. In addition to Coquard, Ion Izagirre, Davide Timolay, and Davide Villella are new additions to the team, and Guillaume Martin will be the team leader in the Grand Tours.Martin, who finished in the top 10 in the 2021 Tour de France and Vuelta a España, will debut in the Giro d'Italia.

"I waited to see the route. The time trial is less than around 25km and as usual, there are many mountains. If I don't run it this year, I will never run it again. This is the year," Martin said, according to Ouest-France (opens in new tab).

"Maybe this is the race for me. There is a lot of movement and I have to be flexible. The weather could suit me. I like Italy and I have won there several times."