Published on : 08/30/2026
The Basque rider secured an incredible victory by dominating the Bretagne Classic CIC. Coming on the heels of Bryan Coquard’s win at the Vuelta, this brings Cofidis’s total number of victories this season to 13.
He took the time to look back, to realize he would never be caught again, and to savor the moment. Alex Aranburu then raised his arms to the sky and savored the moment intensely, knowing he had just accomplished a monumental feat.
Alex, the Basque masterclass
While Alex crossed the finish line first, the entire team shone in this race that felt so much like a classic. Benjamin Thomas had paved the way by being part of the breakaway. Behind him, the Cofidis team stayed united, knowing that everything would come down to the final stretch. Alex bided his time, and it was precisely among the strongest riders that everything was decided in the final stretch.
The Basque rider has secured yet another prestigious victory, and this one will undoubtedly rank among his finest. This year, Alex had already won the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Belgium before claiming victory in Brittany. He gives Cofidis its 13th win of 2026 and brings Cofidis’ incredible week to a spectacular close. Over the course of seven days, Milan Fretin (twice), Martina Alzini, Bryan Coquard, and Victoire Berteau all claimed victories, collectively stringing together an incredible run of wins.
Reactions:
Alex Aranburu :
« I’m absolutely delighted. What’s really great is that we stuck to the plan we’d set ourselves to the letter, and it worked. We came here this week to win stage victories, and we’ve won two. We can be proud of the way we raced. I’m happy for myself, but also for Ion and for everything the team has done. I was lucky enough to benefit from a very good lead-out and to be in the perfect position in the final stretch this afternoon. Everyone did a brilliant job and the best thing I could do was to bring home the victory for them. As a sprinter, the most important thing is to win races. I’m on a roll and I want it to continue! »
Evaldas Šiškevičius, sporting director: «
There’s an incredible dynamic within the team, and of course, that benefits everyone. We can be proud of our riders because they had a great race—they showed composure while also being strategic. There’s a lot of joy and satisfaction. We’re all very happy for Alex, who deserved to win such a prestigious race. We’re all on cloud nine… And we’re going to do everything we can to stay there! »
Raphaël Jeune, general manager :
“This has been a historic week for the Cofidis team. In its more than thirty years of existence, it has never enjoyed so much success in the span of seven days. There was the one-two finish by the women (Martina Alzini and Victoire Berteau), Milan Fretin’s one-two finish, the paracyclists’ triumph in Plouay, and then the prestigious UCI WorldTour victories by Bryan Coquard yesterday and Alex Aranburu today. For a year now, we’ve been working together tirelessly to earn the right to dream and experience such emotions. I’d like to thank everyone who’s contributed to this—the riders as well as the staff members. When you have the right mindset, you can move mountains. That’s what our riders demonstrate every day, and we’ll do everything we can to keep this momentum going until the end of the season.”