Decathlon bought into AG2R La Mondiale in 2024 and has since played an increasingly prominent role in cycling. Looking to the future, the team seems to be doing well, with the rapid progress of Paul Seixas as the best example. In his shadow, the team has another top talent in Léo Bisiaux, and the young Frenchman explains how his team has managed to do so well. For Bisiaux, it has been a matter of working his way up the ranks. In 2022 and 2023, he was part of the junior team, after which he was transferred to the U23 team for 2024. Like Seixas, Bisiaux made his debut at the highest level in 2025, and the 20-year-old rider from Fontainebleau performed brilliantly.
Where Seixas impressed but did not win, Bisiaux did. In the third stage of the Tour of Burgos, big names such as Giulio Ciccone, Isaac Del Toro, and Giulio Pellizzari misjudged the top talent in the final phase. Bisiaux took control of the five-day Spanish race, but after five days, he ultimately finished third in the final classification.
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Bisiaux explains Decathlon's approach: "The selection of riders is done using those tools"
Nevertheless, Bisiaux had shown himself at the highest level and, together with Seixas, he is not the only one from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to do so at such a young age. “It’s fantastic that so many riders join the project as U19s and then progress to the U23 team and eventually the WorldTour,” Bisiaux tells
Bici.In addition to the two top talents, talented riders such as Jordan Labrosse and Noa Isidore also came through the Decathlon training teams. Bisiaux explains how the French team manages to do this. “The team already has all our data, so the selection of riders is done using those tools.”
“When the team selected me, they had everything about me available and had also seen me in action in various races,” the young Frenchman continues. “I don't know how they work now, because cycling has changed enormously over the past two years, but I think the basic principles are still the same.”
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Bisiaux explains the changes in cycling: "Training is harder, or at least more efficient"
According to Bisiaux, training and racing among peers certainly contribute to a rider's growth. “By spending time together, discussing things, and sharing this journey, we have grown closer and formed a unity. This aspect was also important when we moved up to the U23 team, and even more so in the WorldTour.”
The Frenchman, therefore, believes that this could well be the secret: “Creating a solid group that can work well together from the start.” This is even though, as Bisiaux mentioned earlier, cycling has changed enormously over the past two years. “Now there are even more efficient resources in the junior category, especially compared to what I had.”
Moreover, training is harder, or at least more efficient; you see juniors reaching the World Championships among the pros and racing at the front. Seixas and Albert Whiten Philipsen are examples, concludes the 20-year-old rider. We are seeing more and more riders leaping juniors straight to the WorldTour, as Seixas did, for example.
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Decathlon gives Bisiaux and other riders freedom: "Although the focus is mainly on the road, of course"
“We are facing a new cycling scene. I don’t know where it will lead, but many young riders are ready for it,” says Bisiaux, explaining this progression. “I only raced for one year as a U23 rider and then moved on to the WorldTour.”
“I discussed it with the team, and there is a plan to see how I can grow year after year,” says the Frenchman, explaining a little more about how the team works from the inside. “A linear and continuous path through all categories, from juniors to the WorldTour, helps enormously.” Bisiaux is joined by many of his compatriots.
He thinks that's important. “But not essential. The junior selection doesn't just consist of French athletes. There are so many different nationalities, I don't know how many, but there are a lot,” says Bisiaux, who, like many of his colleagues, also gets the chance to compete in the field with his team. “For me and for other guys, both disciplines are essential. For now, we'll continue like this, although the focus is mainly on the road, of course.”