A Strong Start to the Season for the Para-Cycling Team

A successful debut for Team Cofidis’ para-cycling squad. At the World Cup in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the French team delivered a near-flawless performance with three victories and a fourth-place finish in the time trials held on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Gatien Le Rousseau (C4 category), Eliott Pierre (C5), and Louis Hubert (C3) all secured victories. A victim of the stifling, humid heat, Katell Alençon had to settle for fourth place (C4).

Valérie Alexandre, sport director: "In sweltering, humid heat, Katell Alençon finished 4th, unfortunately just missing the podium. At the finish line, she felt very faint due to the heat. That explains her lackluster performance today, but she’s feeling better now. In the boys’ races, we swept the board. Gatien, Eliott, and Louis won their time trials in their respective categories."

Gatien Le Rousseau: The goal of this time trial was to test myself. It’s incredibly hot here—a good 36 degrees, if not more in terms of how it feels. The plan was to start off at a relatively relaxed pace and let my body warm up after a very light warm-up. That helped me secure a nice victory. Pacing was very important with a series of climbs and technical sections where we could recover. The idea was not to overheat on the first lap. 

Eliott Pierre: "I’m really happy to start my season in Thailand with a time trial victory. It was very hot, and I didn’t go all out at the start. I tried to pace myself well, listen to how I felt, and in the end, I came away with a pretty unexpected win since I was on a road bike. It’s great for me and gives me a huge confidence boost for what’s ahead. I hope to do just as well in Saturday’s road race. "

Louis Hubert: "The goal of this first World Cup in Thailand was to see if the winter had gone well, if my winter training had been on point, and this time trial has been a pretty positive outcome since I finished in first place. I wanted to test myself in my favorite discipline, the time trial, to see where I stand compared to my competitors. I managed my effort well by starting off fairly cautiously and then accelerating later on. That led to a great victory, and I hope to do the same on Saturday in the road race."