French hope joins Professional Continental squad as Yvon Sanquer aims for glory

French Professional Continental team Codifis, le credit en ligne has announced the signing of Jérôme Coppel from 2013. The almost-26-year-old from Annemasse, in the Rhône-Alpes region is one of France’s big future hopes for Grand Tour glory, and has been recruited as part of new team manager Yvon Sanquer’s quest for results.



Coppel turned professional for Française des Jeux (now FDJ-BigMat) in 2008, and has been riding for Saur-Sojasun since 2010. With French cycling enjoying a renaissance in recent years, Coppel is one of the host nation’s big hopes for Tour de France glory. He first rode the race in 2009, as a 22-year-old, but failed to finish; but rode strongly in 2010 and finished in 13th place overall.



This year’s race was less successful however, and a poor final time trial saw him finish 21st overall. Cofidis, who will lose climber David Moncoutié at the end of the season, evidently feels that he can improve again next year however.



Aside from the Tour de France, Coppel’s results include victory in the 2009 Route Adélie, the Rhônes-Alpes-Isère Tour, Tour du Doubs and Tour du Gévaudan, and fifth overall in the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2010, and the Vuelta a Murcia in 2011. His biggest result so far in 2012 has been overall victory in February’s Etoile de Bessèges.



The Cofidis team was formed at the end of 1996 and, until 2010, was consistently part of the first division. Declining results however, as well as the emergence of several bigger teams, saw the team lose its place in the International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour, but - under the ambitious Sanquer - the red and white squad has aspirations of making the step back up again; Coppel’s signature is part of this.