He was seen at Blagnac by the team manager, Cyrille Guimard, who offered him a place at Cofidis, a French team sponsored by a money-lending company.
He joined in 1997 and has ridden for the team ever since.
Moncoutié said:
It was the day before the national éspoirs championship in 1996.
I was an amateur with the VC Blagnac and doing my national service with the Joinville Battalion, but I'd never made much of an impact and I hadn't won the least international race.
On the other hand, I had a small reputation as a climber.
I'd spoken to Guimard a couple of times on the phone and he came to see me, a contract in his hand."

He finished 13th in the Tour de France in 2002, saying: "I'm not capable of following the leaders."
He finished 43rd in 2003, shaken by the speed.
He said:
That season, I won a stage of the Tour du Pays Basque, I came 13th in the Tour of Catalonia and sixth in the Dauphiné Libéré, so I said to myself 'Why not?'
I was hoping to end up reasonably high in the general classification.
But in the Tour, that's madness.
From the Vosges, I realised that the best I could hope for was a stage.
I've often heard it said that I could finish in the first five of the Tour de France.
It's a dream!
Me, I've never believed that.
I've always fixed myself realisable objectives that matched my way of riding and my convictions.

His breakthrough was when he won a stage of the 2004 edition of Tour de France to Figeac.
 The following Tour de France he won the stage from Briançon to Digne-les-Bains on Bastille Day, guaranteeing him a place in the hearts of French fans.
Moncoutié said: "A single stage, that could seem a bit thin but for me, that's enough.
The emotion that I felt was enormous.
In one day, I had saved my Tour."
For the next twelve years, no French rider was able to repeat the feat of winning a Tour de France stage on the Bastille Day, until Warren Barguil did so in 2017.

He won a stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1999, the Tour de l'Avenir in 2000, the Tour du Limousin (2001), the Critérium International (2002) and the Tour of the Mediterranean (2003).

He won the 2010 Vuelta a España stage 8 in a mountaintop finishing in Xorret de Cati that included five mountain passes.
He crossed the finish line solo and celebrated a prestigious victory.
He was seen at Blagnac by the team manager, Cyrille Guimard, who offered him a place at Cofidis, a French team sponsored by a money-lending company. He joined in 1997 and has ridden for the team ever since. Moncoutié said:
It was the day before the national éspoirs championship in 1996. I was an amateur with the VC Blagnac and doing my national service with the Joinville Battalion, but I'd never made much of an impact and I hadn't won the least international race. On the other hand, I had a small reputation as a climber. I'd spoken to Guimard a couple of times on the phone and he came to see me, a contract in his hand."
He finished 13th in the Tour de France in 2002, saying: "I'm not capable of following the leaders." He finished 43rd in 2003, shaken by the speed. He said:
That season, I won a stage of the Tour du Pays Basque, I came 13th in the Tour of Catalonia and sixth in the Dauphiné Libéré, so I said to myself 'Why not?' I was hoping to end up reasonably high in the general classification. But in the Tour, that's madness. From the Vosges, I realised that the best I could hope for was a stage. I've often heard it said that I could finish in the first five of the Tour de France. It's a dream! Me, I've never believed that. I've always fixed myself realisable objectives that matched my way of riding and my convictions.
His breakthrough was when he won a stage of the 2004 edition of Tour de France to Figeac.  The following Tour de France he won the stage from Briançon to Digne-les-Bains on Bastille Day, guaranteeing him a place in the hearts of French fans. Moncoutié said: "A single stage, that could seem a bit thin but for me, that's enough. The emotion that I felt was enormous. In one day, I had saved my Tour." For the next twelve years, no French rider was able to repeat the feat of winning a Tour de France stage on the Bastille Day, until Warren Barguil did so in 2017.
He won a stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1999, the Tour de l'Avenir in 2000, the Tour du Limousin (2001), the Critérium International (2002) and the Tour of the Mediterranean (2003).
He won the 2010 Vuelta a España stage 8 in a mountaintop finishing in Xorret de Cati that included five mountain passes. He crossed the finish line solo and celebrated a prestigious victory.
David Moncoutié