Benoît Cosnefroy seals overall victory at the Boucles de la Mayenne

French rider picks up his first general classification title for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the 30-year-old's win built on his superb display on Saturday

News | Team –31st May 2026

Finishing safely inside the peloton on stage 3 of the Boucles de la Mayenne, Benoît Cosnefroy defended his race lead and sealed victory in the general classification. It is the Frenchman’s first GC success for the Emirati squad since joining UAE Team Emirates-XRG over the winter.

Cosnefroy is in a terrific run of form, with the overall title proving his fourth win in less than a month. The GC win at the Boucles de la Mayenne was delivered thanks largely to his stage 2 victory on Saturday afternoon, in which the 30-year-old packed a brilliant sprint to the line at the end of an attritional race.

On Sunday, a flat course awaited the peloton, but only seven seconds separated Cosnefroy from his nearest rival in the general classification. As such, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates had to be alert to any dangers. On the third and final stage, the team did a handsome job of controlling the breakaway formation and staying in control of the overall race situation.

As such, the day’s breakaway was mopped up well in sight of the finish, before the day’s honours were contested in a bunch sprint. It was Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM who picked up the stage 3 win, with Cosnefroy crossing the line within the peloton.

In doing so, the Frenchman was able to cast a wide smile and celebrate his victory in the general classification. Speaking to reporters after the finish, Cosnefroy reflected on a wonderful week which has yielded two stage wins and the overall title at the Boucles de la Mayenne. There was also a moment to discuss life with UAE Team Emirates-XRG to date.

Cosnefroy: “I’m very happy – especially since I could throw my hands in the air yesterday, which is the highlight of the week. As for today, my team and I accomplished our mission. There were a lot of supporters around to make the race even sweeter, and I want to say a big ‘kudos’ to the organisers because they really took care of every detail so we could race safely.

“We had to be very focused throughout the day in order to keep the leader’s jersey, as we had to watch out for the tactics of rivals like Groupama’s Thibaud Gruel, who was chasing bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint.

“It’s never easy to adapt to a new environment. I was joining a very strong team and one can never be sure of how things will go. In the end, it’s going super well. I am happy and in good shape, and I’ve been granted many chances to play my cards. There have been many positive days in this campaign – especially since April. Things are getting better race after race.”

Boucles de la Mayenne 2026 stage 3 results:

1. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) 3:13:36

2. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) s.t

3. John Degenkolb (Team Picnic PostNL) s.t

Boucles de la Mayenne 2026 final general classification after stage 3:

1. Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 12:21:47

2. Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ United) +7″

3. Noa Isidore (Decathlon CMA CGM) +12″