Decathlon has been presented as the new title sponsor for the AG2R La Mondiale team, significantly boosting the French team’s budget for the next five years, with Ireland’s Sam Bennett and Victor Lafay revealed as major new signings for 2024.
The French WorldTour team will be known as Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale from January 1 and use Decathlon’s in-house Van Rysel brands of bikes, helmets and sunglasses.
Van Rysel has worked with Swiss Side, Deda Elementi and Onera, the French aerospace research centre, to develop their RSR road race bike and the FCR time trial bike.
During a presentation at the Decathlon headquarters, near Lille in northern France, Decathlon made their ambitions clear, saying they will significantly boost the team’s budget to give Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale the budget and technology to take on the biggest teams in the WorldTour.
The new colours include Decathlon’s colours of sky blue and white. The team has replaced its stand-out brown shorts for more traditional black shorts. Italian brand Rosti will produce the race clothing.
The 2024 Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale roster includes Australia’s Ben O’Connor, Benoît Cosnefroy, Tour de France stage winner Felix Gall, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Oliver Naesen and the USA’s Larry Warbasse.
Bennett’s arrival gives Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale a new source of sprint success and offers him a chance to reboot his career. The 33-year-old only won three minor races in 2023 after not being selected for the Bora-Hansgrohe Tour de France squad and then being blighted by illness.
More to follow…
Un nouveau maillot pour un nouveau chapitre : @Decathlon et @AG2RLAMONDIALE unissent leurs couleurs et vous présentent le nouveau maillot des coureurs. #DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM pic.twitter.com/EYbi5D0CjUNovember 27, 2023
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