A green goal for Decathlon CMA CGM and Olav Kooij, while Seixas remains the wildcard in ambitious plans for 2026

With CMA CGM arriving as a new title sponsor, the Decathlon squad has taken another step toward cycling’s elite. Add a busy transfer window on top of that, and a full team presentation - showcasing new riders and new ambitions - felt perfectly timed. IDL Procycling was present in Lille to gather everything you need to know from the event.

Where many teams opt for media days in sunnier training-camp locations, Decathlon kept things close to home. Very close, in fact: the entire roster was gathered on Thursday morning at the Decathlon Campus in Lille.

In a large, theatre-style hall with an impressive stage set-up, CEO Javier López opened proceedings, followed by a message from new sponsor CMA CGM. Its CEO appeared via video, outlining the company’s sky-high ambitions for the partnership. That word - ambition - was heard frequently. Very frequently.

When team principal Dominique Serieys took the microphone, the tone sharpened further. “We have clear ambitions, but we must remain humble. We need to respect our opponents,” he said. Still, the overriding target remains unchanged: to establish, and stay, among the world’s top five teams.

Could they be more specific? Absolutely. “The five Monuments are the central pillar of our project," the Frenchman continued. "We want to race them with, for example, a top-five in Paris–Roubaix as our goal. That race is in the DNA of Van Rysel,” the team boss said, referring to Decathlon’s bike brand.

It is ambitious, certainly regarding the classics. The same applies to Grand Tours. “We want to finish in the top five of a Grand Tour GC. That’s why we have Felix Gall and also newcomer Matthew Riccitello,” Serieys continued. The American managed exactly that in this year’s Vuelta, finishing fifth in a field full of top competitors.

And then there are the other goals in the three-week races — ones hinted at already by the arrival of a reinforced sprint train around Olav Kooij. “The aim is to win the green jersey in the Tour de France with Kooij and our other sprinters,” Serieys stated. Ambitious again, but judging by his tone in Lille, he clearly believes it.

And then there is the question that has preoccupied French cycling fans for months: will Paul Seixas make his Tour de France debut in 2025? It was raised again during the presentation, but the young star had no definitive answer. “It’s no secret that I want to be there one day, but whether that’s already this year, I don’t know,” he said. A slight anticlimax for the audience in Lille.

But while Serieys mentioned Gall and Riccitello as Grand Tour leaders, Seixas effectively gives the team a third option. One of them has already revealed part of his programme: Gall announced he will start both the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. That doesn’t guarantee a Tour selection for Seixas, but Gall’s schedule does leave a door open.