Published on : 05/17/2026
Five days of racing, two podiums, and a team that showed its strength throughout this Hungarian week. Cofidis leaves the 2026 Tour of Hungary with plenty to be satisfied about, led by an Alexis Renard in great form.
Final day at the Tour of Hungary, and once again brutal weather conditions on the menu. As the day before, rain and strong winds battered the riders on this hilly route around Veszprém (144 km), with the Gella climb to tackle four times. Jamie Meehan slipped into the early breakaway before being caught 23 km from the finish. Echelons in the final shook things up, but the peloton came back together 1 km from the line for a mass sprint. Alexis Renard takes second place, beaten by Tim Merlier, his third runner-up finish in a week.
Roberto Damiani, sports director:
"It was a very tough day, with rain and strong winds in the final. Jamie Meehan got into the seven-man breakaway, but we knew the leaders' teams would do everything to bring it back. There were echelons 15 km from the finish, which made for an exciting finale. We had Alexis, Sylvain Moniquet and Edoardo Zamperini in the front group. At the finish, Tim Merlier was once again the strongest in the sprint. We leave with the feeling that we could have done even better, but it's still a good Tour of Hungary. Alexis is confirming his form."
Alexis Renard reacts:
"I'm pretty satisfied with my week, two second places is a solid result. I was hoping for a bit more in the other sprints, but positioning was very hectic and honestly dangerous. Today, I'm happy to take a strong second place behind Tim Merlier.
As a team, with the echelon we created on Stage 2, we showed some real strength. Today again, we stayed united until the end. In terms of the overall standings, we hoped for more this week, but we'll make up for it in the races to come."