French cycling team aims to end 40-year Tour de France drought with major investment
With race leader Tadej Pogačar poised to retain his title when cycling's biggest event concludes Sunday on the Champs-Elysées, that drought appears set to continue.
The Slovenian three-time Tour champion holds a comfortable lead in the general classification. The top French rider, Kevin Vauquelin, sits in fifth place, more than 10 minutes behind.
Over the past four decades, France has produced talented riders such as Thibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet, Warren Barguil or Julian Alaphilippe. All raised hopes but ultimately fell short, often facing rivals backed by stronger and better-funded teams.
That equation could change following an announcement Monday during the Tour's second rest day. Decathlon, a global sporting goods company, is joining forces with CMA CGM, one of the world's largest shipping firms, to invest in a French team with Tour-winning ambitions.
Decathlon, a sporting goods brand, had previously announced it would take over full ownership of the French team currently known as Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, from AG2R La Mondiale, at the end of the 2025 season.
With an estimated budget of 40 million euros ($47 million) — compared to the 60 million euros available to Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG — the team aims to win the Tour de France within the next five years.
'We are determined to write a historic new chapter for French and global sport,' said Dominique Serieys, the team's general director.
Serieys has outlined strong ambitions for the coming seasons, targeting success in Grand Tour stages and one-day classics such as Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo. The ultimate goal is to win the Tour de France by 2030, with a French rider.
One of the team's most promising French prospects is 18-year-old Paul Seixas, who finished eighth at this year's Critérium du Dauphiné — a key preparation race for the Tour. The team opted not to include him in this year's Tour squad, believing the move would come too early in his development.
Serieys told BFM Marseille that the 2030 Tour de France project will be built around Seixas.
'But we need time, because his first results are probably expected in 2028,' he said. 'We need to give Paul time to understand, learn and perform.'
Asked about the new project on Monday, Pogačar welcomed the news.
'They can be top candidates for winning the Tour in the coming years,' he told a news conference.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
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