Cofidis drop out of O Gran Camiño due to spate of injuries

The organisers of O Gran Camiño announced on Friday that Cofidis have pulled out of the third edition of the race which is due to start on February 22.

The French squad told the race they have too many injured riders to send a team to the UCI 2.1-ranked race at the same time as two WorldTour events they are obliged to attend, the UAE Tour and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Earlier this week, Cofidis published a list of six riders who are out of commission.

Stefano Oldani is out with a fractured scaphoid due to a crash in the GP la Marseillaise, while Axel Zingle, injured in the same race, avoided broken bones but has a large hematoma on his arm and is not certain when he can race next.

Eddy Finé was struck by a driver while training in Australia and suffered a fractured left shoulder. Finé competed in the Surf Coast Classic on January 25 but did not start the Cadel Evans Road Race three days later.

Another rider who raced in Australia, Simon Geschke, contracted COVID-19 and is out until the end of this month, while Gorka Izagirre is suffering from fatigue and is being tested to determine the cause.

O Gran Camiño organisers have not yet announced a substitute for the French team.

There are 17 teams on the roster for the four-day race which will be Jonas Vingegaard's debut for the season.

Last year, Vingegaard started his season at the race and won all three stages and the overall after the opening stage was cancelled.

Vingegaard went on to win the Itzulia Basque Country, Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour de France and was second to teammate Sepp Kuss at the Vuelta a España in 2023.

O Gran Camiño begins with a 15-kilometre individual time trial in Torre de Hércules before three hilly stages in Galicia. The race provides a first look at Vinegaard on a summit finish as it concludes with a double ascent of the Monte Aloia, a 7km climb averaging 8% on stage 4.