Published on : 09/24/2026
From Tuesday to Sunday last week, the team competed in the Tour of Slovakia. What was on the programme? Five stages, from the east to the west of the country, with the Cofidis riders giving it their all. And they weren’t the only ones flying the Cofidis colours…
There was something of a Tour de France feel on the roads of Slovakia throughout last week. As well as the stands set up at the start and finish areas, turning the riders’ passage into a celebration in every village, the publicity caravan also added to the atmosphere during the stages. And the most visible vehicle was none other than the Cofidis float, instantly recognisable by its yellow and red colours.
Cofidis Slovakia has supported local cycling since 2018
The float travelled across Europe, covering more than 1,300 km from northern France in order to join the caravan for a week. This was far from a token presence and demonstrated Cofidis Slovakia’s commitment to the event. Since 2018, the subsidiary, which has 120 employees, has been one of the major supporters of cycling in the country. A partner of the Slovak Cycling Federation, it is also one of the sponsors of Bikefest Kalnica, the country’s largest freeride festival. Cofidis Slovakia is also a partner of the Tour of Slovakia every year.
“Supporting all these events allows us to reach a wide audience, as cycling is so popular in Slovakia,” explains Pavel Jonas, Managing Director of Cofidis Slovakia. A travelling stand, set up at every finish, gave spectators the opportunity to discover the solutions offered by Cofidis.
“A great variety of landscapes” (Meehan)
Pavel Jonas travelled to the hotel where the team was staying last Saturday to spend some time with the riders. “
The Tour of Slovakia is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year and I know the organisers were keen to showcase the best of what the country has to offer,”he says.
“Even though we don’t have much time to look around us, there is a great variety of landscapes, from the green plains to the areas of rolling mountains,”Jamie Meehan explained.
From a sporting perspective, the team was one of the main protagonists throughout the race. Jenthe Biermans came very close to victory in the bunch sprints, finishing 2nd (Stage 1), 4th (Stage 2) and 8th (Stage 4). Benjamin Thomas also came close to victory, finishing 2nd on Stage 3. Finally, Jamie Meehan, 3rd on the queen stage, secured 4th place overall.
The riders were followed day by day by a team from Cofidis Slovakia, who provided colleagues and social media followers with an inside look at the team’s race. Through its involvement this year, Cofidis is once again strengthening its ties with one of the Group’s subsidiaries, following a similar initiative in May with Cofidis Hungary during the Tour of Hungary. Based in northern France, the Group has operations in nine European countries, with Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Poland among them. In total, almost 5,800 people work for the Group.
