Decathlon AG2R under review: with raw top talent and unpolished Visma diamond ready for next step?

Cycling teams are already gathering to take a preliminary look toward 2025, but at IDLProCycling.com, we continue to use the calm November month to look back at 2024. This episode analyzes the French team Decathlon AG2R season, which had a top year.

One-day races 2024: Decathlon AG2R

The new main sponsor, Decathlon, will have delighted early this year with the team's step in one-day races. After Greg Van Avermaet's retirement at the end of 2023, the leader for the Flemish work was gone, but Oliver Naesen was right there with a fourth-place finish in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Ben O'Connor, in turn, won the Tour of Murcia.

In the hilly races, the French relied on Benoit Cosnefroy, who won Brabantse Pijl, a series of races in his homeland, and Paul Lapeira. The latter won the national championship, which was necessary for his team. As for the Monuments, Aurélien Paret-Peintre delivered a satisfactory performance with his fifth place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Of course, we should not forget O'Connor's second place at the World Championships, although he did not achieve it in his team's jersey. The Aussie stood between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel.

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(Grand) tours 2024: Decathlon AG2R

Of course, one race counts for a French team: the Tour de France. Last season, the team salvaged the year in that race, but this season, it was quite the opposite: brilliant in just about every other race but disappointing in the Tour. Felix Gall could not continue his successful streak from last year and finished well outside the top ten.

Especially O'Connor made up for a lot. The Aussie finished second in the UAE Tour and opted for the Giro and Vuelta double due to the birth of his child. This choice didn't hurt him, as after he had placed fourth in Italy, he grabbed the red jersey in the first week of the Vuelta. Ultimately, only Primoz Roglic caught up with him, leaving O'Connor in second place.

Other noteworthy achievements include Sam Bennett's overall victory and four stage wins in the Four Days of Dunkirk, stage wins in the Giro (Valentin Paret-Peintre), Tour of the Basque Country (Paul Lapeira), and Tour of Romandie (Dorian Godon), among others.

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Final figure 2024 Decathlon AG2R

Decathlon AG2R can reflect on a very successful year with at least thirty victories, but it will not please the big bosses that the Tour did not turn out as they had hoped. Thus, we concluded with a final score of 8.0.

Transfers 2024/2025: Decathlon AG2R

Decathlon AG2R is busy training the talent of tomorrow, and it reinforced that with this winter's transfers. The team transferred no less than five (!) significant talents: Noa Isidore, Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen, Paul Seixas, Leo Bisiaux, and Oscar Chamberlain. The 17-year-old Seixas, recently world junior time trial champion, will even become the youngest rider in the WorldTour.

Furthermore, it also recruited experienced WorldTour riders Callum Scotson and Stefan Bissegger, with the latter getting to do his thing on the time trial bike. And Johannes Staune-Mittet was bought away from Visma | Lease a Bike, which let the former Giro Next Gen winner leave despite an ongoing contract. Tord Gudmestad, a compatriot of Staune-Mittet, came over from Uno-X.

A Norwegian also left with Edvald Boasson Hagen, while the team will feel the loss of Ben O'Connor (to Jayco AlUla) most. Furthermore, the departures of young French talents Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) and Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) are notable: they are both looking for a challenge outside France.

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New arrivals: Noa Isidore, Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen, Paul Seixas, Leo Bisiaux, Oscar Chamberlain (training team), Tord Gudmestad (Uno-X), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Visma | Lease a Bike), Callum Scotson (Jayco AlUla) and Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost)

Leaving (provisional): Edvald Boasson Hagen (quits), Damien Touzé (Cofidis), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla), Larry Warbasse (Tudor), Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Jaakko Hanninen (Nice Métropole) and Valentin Rettaileau (TotalEnergies)Ones to watch 2025: Decathlon AG2R

Ones to watch 2025: Decathlon AG2R

It will be intriguing to see when Decathlon AG2R's strategy starts to pay off. With the five youngsters, Decathlon AG2R is clearly opting for the future, although we can expect great things from Seixas and Bisiaux pretty soon. Pedersen even became the Danish elite champion this year.

Furthermore, from a Dutch point of view, it will be interesting to see if Staune-Mittet can fulfill his promise after leaving Visma | Lease a Bike. The Norwegian will be 23 years old in January and starting his third season in the WorldTour.

Sam Bennett looked more like the best version of himself last season. After the departures of Boasson Hagen and Warbasse, he and Oliver Naesen are the team's seniors. Can he pull off another stage win at the Tour in 2025?

Finally, we hope that Victor Lafay and Stan Dewulf will be able to return to full fitness after their injury ordeals last season.

Selection Decathlon AG2r 2025

1. Bruno Armirail
2. Sam Bennett
3. Clément Berthet
4. Leo Bisiaux
5. Stefan Bissegger
6. Geoffrey Bouchard
7. Oscar Chamberlain
8. Benoit Cosnefroy
9. Dries De Bondt
10. Sander De Pestel
11. Stan Dewulf
12. Felix Gall
13. Pierre Gautherat
14. Dorian Godon
15. Tord Gudmestad
16. Noa Isidore
17. Jordan Labrosse
18. Victor Lafay
19. Paul Lapeira
20. Oliver Naesen
21. Aurélien Paret-Peintre
22. Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen
23. Nans Peters
24. Gianluca Pollefliet
25. Nicolas Prodhomme'
26. Callum Scotson
27. Paul Seixas
28. Johannes Staune-Mittet
29. Bastien Tronchon
30. Andrea Vendrame

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