The Décathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team announced this Wednesday the incorporation of five new young riders into its professional team for the 2025 season. As we announced at the beginning of August, these are: Léo Bisiaux, Oscar Chamberlain, Noa Isidore, Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen and therefore the Savoyard Paul Seixas (18 years old in a few days).
The latter, courted by a large number of World Tour teams, had expressed his uncertainties about his future a few days ago: “ I haven’t decided yet whether or not I’ll continue with Decathlon AG2R, it will be something we’ll see after the World Championships “, he confided to our colleagues at bici.pro after his victory in the Giro della Lunigiana on September 7.
Thirteen victories in 2024
It must be said that the great hope of French Cycling is having a very high-flying season (13 victories, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Alpine Classic, and also, therefore, the Giro della Lunigiana), enough to turn heads. Also a bronze medalist at the European Championships on Saturday, the Motterain, who will sign until 2028, will take a big step forward, since he will move from the U19 team to the professional team without going through the development team.
“I chose to stay loyal to the team because I have always liked the project and since I joined in the cadet category, there has always been a good atmosphere and a superb organization,” commented Seixas after signing. “I wanted to continue the experience with the team at WorldTour level this time. It is important for me to stay loyal to the team that trained me. The team offers me an incredible project, I could only take part in it. It is a childhood dream come true. It is a special feeling to enter the WorldTour, especially at the age of 18. It is a show of confidence, and I am very happy about it.”
Promotions that compensate for departures
The other four young recruits of the Savoyard professional team have also shown their potential in recent years. Léo Bisiaux (19 years old), junior cyclo-cross world champion in 2023, finished 4e of the 2024 Tour de l’Avenir. Noa Isidore (20 years old) won the title of French U23 champion last May. The Dane Rasmus Sojberg Petersen (22 years old) did the same in his native country, but in the Elite category, no less. Finally, the Australian Oscar Chamberlain (19 years old) is claiming in particular a title of U23 time trial world champion in 2023.
These arrivals will certainly partly compensate for certain planned departures such as that of Ben O’Connor at JayCo AlUla, the other, probable, of Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep), or even of Valentin Retailleau for TotalEnergies.
