Having romped through the domestic road scene over the last couple of seasons, and picked up some big wins abroad, Irish junior Conor Murphy is now being linked with a move to one of the biggest U23 development teams in the sport.
The Co Louth teenager - riding this year for Caldwell Cycles - has been linked with a move to Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale Development Team. However, a deal has not been confirmed, or commented on, by any of the parties.
The team has been a breeding ground for a lot of talent in recent seasons and is the feeder squad for the Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team. It counts Irish sprinter, and 10-time Grand Tour stage winner, Sam Bennett on its roster this season.
If Murphy joins the team - and we stress, the move is not confirmed - he will do so at the right time. Decathlon came into the set-up as a title sponsor about 18 months ago.
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The sports goods retail giant has since bought the team from outgoing sponsor AG2R La Mondiale. And now the team is to significantly step up its efforts with new signings, with an increased budget of up to €40 million, with the ultimate aim of winning the Tour de France.
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The team will be known as Decathlon-CMA CGM next year following the announcement last month of a five-year agreement with shipping company CMA CGM.
Murphy (18) was not available for comment, nor were any of his camp in Ireland. And the team has not made any announcement about signing him, though it has been linked with the Irish teenager.
In June, Murphy won the junior road race and TT titles at the National Road Championships in Co Meath. This season he has also set a new Irish junior record for the 10 mile TT, clocking 17:42, which equaled the elite Irish record set by Ryan Mullen in 2014.
Riding for the Irish team, Murphy also won the TT stage at Course de la Paix Juniors, the UCI Nations Cup race in the Czech Republic in May.
Last year he won the Eroica Juniores-Coppa Andrea Meneghelli (1.1) one-day race in Italy, regarded as the junior version of Strade Bianche. He rounded of his 2024 season with 10th in the junior TT at the UCI World Road Championships in Zürich.
