The exodus from Crédit Agricole has begun, after Roger Legeay released his riders on August 1. The first two riders to leave the squad Rémi Pauriol and William Bonnet will join rival French squads, Cofidis and Bouygues Telecom respectively.
"This will be a new experience for me," Bonnet said of his new team. "They [Cofidis] don't have many sprinters or classics riders, so I will have more chances to make the racing."
Crédit Agricole team manager Legeay released his riders to on August 1, giving them the green light to find new teams for 2009. Legeay has so far been unsuccessful in finding a replacement sponsor for Crédit Agricole.
The French squad won two stages at the Tour de France, one with sprinter Thor Hushovd and another with Simon Gerrans. Hushovd and Gerrans have so far given no indication that they have found new teams for 2009.
