The Cofidis team(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Stéphane Auge (Cofidis, le Credit en Ligne)(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Didier Rous is expected to sign a contract to join Cofidis’ management team on Wednesday morning, according to reports in L’Équipe. The Frenchman resigned his position as directeur sportif with Jean-René Bernaudeau’s Europcar squad last week.
“I hope that he [Bernaudeau] understood the reasons behind my resignation,” Rous told L’Équipe. “He knows why I’m leaving. I spent some good times with Jean-Rene but now other challenges await me.”
It is understood that Rous is set to meet with Cofidis manager Éric Boyer and Thierry Vittu, the director of Cofidis Competition, to discuss the terms of his contract. The two-time French champion spent seven years as a rider with Bernaudeau's teams before becoming directeur sportif in 2008. He was believed to have grown disappointed at his lack of input into Europcar's recruitment policy. Rous is understood to have been frustrated by the departure of Pierrick Fedrigo and the non-renewal of Laurent Lefèvre's contract.
On Tuesday it was announced that Stéphane Augé had opted not to continue as a rider with Cofidis in 2011, and he will instead serve as a directeur sportif. The French squad had previously parted company with former directeur sportif Francis Van Londersele.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
