Borut Bozic has swapped Astana blue for Cofidis red and took time to speak with PEZ Cycling news about riding on the French team and what life is like leading out the controversial Nacer Bouhanni.

“The main difference is language, at Astana we spoke Italian – I can speak Italian and English – but at Cofidis the language is French with very few of the guys having English. I’m finding that aspect difficult. Astana is a very strong team but its main ambitions lay in three week Grand Tours. Here at Cofidis it’s different, a lot of the time it’s about setting the finale up for Bouhanni – we want to control it and bring it to a sprint,” Bozic told PEZ when asked to compare Astana and Cofidis.

Bozic used a very surprising word when asked to describe Bouhanni. “Regular” is not a word many who follow cycling would associate with the fast Frenchman.

“He’s what I’d call a ‘regular guy’ – probably the people who speak about him don’t know him. When I room with him he’s a calm character, relaxed – but what you have to remember is that no one is an angel in the last five K and if the opposition riders see that you’re going to brake then they’ll remember that and try to pressure you the next time, too.”

Bozic has mostly raced the smaller French events this season, but the 35 year old from Slovenia says those races are really hard, something he was not aware of before joining his new team.

“I’ve been surprised by how good the French races are – these races are supposed to be ‘small’ but they’re actually very hard and good for bringing on the young French guys. I’ve found that even though I’m an experienced professional I’m still learning in the French school.”