Decathlon CMA CGM needs to forge a team out of new signings - and does so through partying, beer and shots

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale has progressed rapidly in recent seasons. In 2026, with new name sponsor CMA CGM, the French squad aims to push into the absolute elite. The plan? A powerhouse sprint project supported by a strengthened climbing unit. With so many new faces, the first order of business was forging a team.

In the summer it became clear that AG2R La Mondiale would exit after more than 25 years as a title sponsor. Decathlon stayed on, but extra resources were needed. Rumours about L’Oréal were quickly shot down; instead, container shipping giant CMA CGM stepped in to bolster the project.

Over the summer, it was announced that AG2R La Mondiale was leaving the cycling world after more than 25 years as a sponsor. Decathlon would continue, but additional money was needed. Rumors of L'Oréal as a new backer were resolutely quashed, but with container carrier CMA CGM they did have the desired reinforcement.

However, it was Decathlon that took the main financial responsibility. That translated into a bigger budget, and a bigger budget translated into big signings. After months of speculation, the announcements followed: among others, Olav Kooij, Tiesj Benoot, Cees Bol, Daan Hoole and Matthew Riccitello joined the team — a major injection of quality.

Tobias Lund Andresen will also ride for the French team in 2026. Many new signings also means many new faces, and the team will have quite a task to forge a unit from a team of new riders. The Dane, who arrived from Picnic PostNL, states that the first training camp has already been finished. For most of the new recruits, it was also the first chance to meet everyone — and so things got a little wild at times.

Andresen tells Feltet that everyone had a good time. “Of course we partied — beer and shots were the icebreakers — and we started to build a bit of a bond. The atmosphere seems good. It’s the best way to do team building and get to know each other. You let your guard down once you pick up some insider knowledge.” Riders like Sam Bennett, Benoît Cosnefroy, Dorian Godon, Bruno Armirail and Victor Lafay weren't there: they all chose to leave the French team.

Lund Andresen started his past season early, in Australia. After the Tour Down Under he bagged his only victory of the year at the Surf Coast Classic. First, though, the Dane is taking a breather. “It’s the off-season now. I still haven’t really started training. It was a good training camp and I’m looking forward to next year.”