Sam Bennett is expected to be among a large group of riders exiting Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale this year just as the French World Tour team is set for a transformation process, including an increase in budget to an estimated €40 million.
The ownership of the team has also changed, with Decathlon taking over from AG2R La Mondiale, bringing to a close a 30-year era in the sport. Under new ownership, and with money on the scale of the sport’s so-called super-teams, the French team is making big name signings and also saying it aims to win the Tour de France.
Though Decathlon has now confirmed it is assuming ownership of the team, the fine detail of how the team will look and what it will be called is set to be announced soon, probably before the end of the Tour. But it now seems Ireland’s Bennett is moving on after two years, and will have a lot of company while exiting.
Nine other riders are also expected to leave as the team focusses on new riders, including French 18-year-old Paul Seixas and Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij, currently with five wins this year for Visma-Lease a Bike, including two stages at the Giro.
Media reports in France have included Bennett in a group of 10 riders expected to leave the team at the end of the current season. The others are: Dorian Godon, Victor Lafay, Nans Peters, Clément Berthet, Benoît Cosnefroy, Dries De Bondt, Bastien Tronchon, Andrea Vendrame and Geoffrey Bouchard.
However, Bouchard’s status for 2026 was said to be less certain than the others and there was a chance he may yet pen a new deal. Of the others, they were either not offered new contracts and or were offered deals that they were not interested in.
Bennett has ridden for the team for the last two seasons, winning four races this year. Last season he took five victories; four stages and the overall at Four Days of Dunkirk. However, he has yet to win a World Tour race and abandoned last year’s Tour with stomach problems while finishing this year’s Giro with a best finish of 6th on stage 4.
If Bennett’s reported exit from the team comes to pass – though nothing is confirmed yet – it is unclear which team he will sign for. At the start of the Giro he said he was not yet ready to retire aged 35 years.
“It’s a shock that people around me are retiring because I still feel quite young. And I feel like I’ve a good couple of years left in me. But it feels weird actually,” he said at the time when asked about Caleb Ewan, who had just called time on his racing career aged 30 years.
Bennett has been a pro rider since the start of the 2014 season – riding for Team NetApp Endura. He has been a World Tour rider since the start of the 2017 season, by which time the German team had stepped up to the top tier, morphing into Bora-hansgrohe.
Though Bennett is expected to leave Decathlon AG2R La Monidale, the team looks set to transform in the years ahead, with Decathlon – a huge corporate entity – assuming ownership 18 months after coming on board as a sponsor.
“This change is more than structural; it reflects our long-term strategic desire to deepen our involvement in this sport at the highest level,” said Céline Del Genes, Decathlon’s chief customer officer. “Together, with the team, we want to build the future of cycling.
“We are proud of the journey shared with AG2R La Mondiale and we thank them for their dedication and commitment to the team over the past 28 years. A new chapter now opens, driven by a resolute ambition to win, and we look forward to writing it with the team. ”
Seixas is already signed with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale until the end of 2017 and also rode for its junior squad. He won the junior TT at the Worlds last year and despite jumping from the juniors straight into the World Tour, he has already finished 8th overall at Critérium du Dauphiné (2.UWT).
Kooij is expected to come into the team as its main sprinter and he is expected to be accompanied by a number of riders to assist him. They include: Cees Bol (XDS Astana), Dutch TT champion and Giro TT stage winner Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) and Robbe Ghys (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike) is also expected to sign for the team, as is talented French teenager Aubin Sparfel, a first-year U23 who currently rides for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team.
Sparfel has guested for the World Tour line-up this year, winning Tour du Finistère Pays de Quimper (1.1) in May. Riding for the U23 team he has also this year won Alpes Isère Tour (2.2) and claimed the green jersey at Giro Next Gen.
