Published on : 07/14/2026
Team Cofidis kicked off the second week of the Tour de France just as it had ended the first: on the attack. But on this July 14, it was the general classification favorites who had the final say.
They had to take a chance to avoid any regrets. On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, many riders were looking to break away to fight for the win at Le Lioran. The Cofidis riders were among them. One after another, they tried to secure a spot at the front of the race. In the end, it was Benjamin Thomas and Ion Izagirre who managed to slip into the significant breakaway of about thirty riders that formed once the intermediate sprint had passed. Unfortunately for the day’s attackers, it quickly became clear what the Tour favorites—starting with the yellow jersey—had in mind.
Tomorrow, a completely different terrain awaits the Tour de France peloton. The stage from Vichy to Nevers should favor the sprinters. Team Cofidis will look to shine with its Belgian sprinter, Milan Fretin. With the finish in the city of our cycling partner, Look, the northerners will be eager to put on a strong performance.
The reaction
Benjamin Thomas: “We got off to a super-fast start. We knew a breakaway would form after the intermediate sprint. There was a huge battle. I found myself at the front with Ion Izagirre. That was the plan, but we quickly realized, seeing the gap, that we had almost no chance. The breakaway wasn’t well organized—there were a lot of climbers. It was very disorganized. When we saw we were out of the race, we decided to save our energy for tomorrow.”