The French team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale organized its official presentation for 2025 this Monday in Lille. The event, which was held at the Decathlon Arena, with all the managers, riders and staff, made it possible to unveil the new jersey and the new bike Van Ryselas well as the entire squad for 2025. On this occasion, Cyclism’Actu was able to speak with the French Bruno Armirail. The French time trial champion, still performing well in the times this year, and very close to a victory on the 2nd stage of the Critérium du Dauphinéhopes to win a road race in 2025… and why not become world champion.
Video – Bruno Armirail at the microphone of Cyclism'Actu!
What are your objectives for the year 2025?
The objective is to do better than in 2024. Win in online races, win a stage on a grand tour, or on a Critérium du Dauphiné or Paris-Nice. I came close to the Dauphiné, but it was 150m short. The objective will be to win, and then we'll see, help the team as much as possible as I was able to do this year, improve in time trials a little more, and that's it, try to do a very good season.
What do you think of your choice to join Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in 2024?
It's good, especially given the season we had, so it's nice. I knew I wasn't going to regret this choice, and then it was confirmed, so it's a very good choice. The team did well, and it always helps when there are more results.
When we have a historic season like your team did, do we have pressure for 2025 or not?
Yes and no, we know that not all seasons can be the same. We see this clearly with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, which had a very good 2023 season, winning three grand tours, and in the end in 2024 it is much more complicated. So we are not sure that 2025 will be a slightly more complicated season for us, especially with the loss of Ben O'Connor. But we have recruited well, we have good riders who have performed well so we will see. So, pressure, yes and no. We know what we did in 2024, and we will try to reproduce the same thing.
The Tour will start from Lille in 2025, the headquarters of one of the team's big sponsors, Decathlon, not to mention it. Obviously we can't wait to be there, right?
Yes for sure. The Tour will be the team's number one objective. Last year, we had a very big team at the Giro, a very big team at the Vuelta, and on the Tour we were a little weaker, physically we will say. But this year it will be different, the Tour will be a big goal, and I hope to be at the start.
It's true that she missed victory on the Tour in 2024…
Yes, but we can't win every year either. It's certain that it was lacking, but I think that a lot of teams would have liked to have had the season we had without winning on the Tour. Of course it would have been better, but second in the Vuelta, not everyone can do it. The victory on the Tour is missing, but the season is still very successful.
If there was one thing to check off in 2025 for you, what would it be?
It's complicated to say… being world time champion, that's it! It might be good, but then we'll see. Champion of France, that will already be the objective. But if I had to tick off a race that I could win, it would definitely be world champion, yes.
Is it playable or not?
If I don't believe in it, there's no point in me going to the start, so I believe in it. At the Giro last year, I finished fifth, 8 seconds behind Remco Evenepoel, there was Geraint Thomas, great people… and I finished 8 seconds from the win in a grand tour time, so it's realistic , we can do it, we have to work, progress. It's going to be difficult, that's for sure, but why not, you have to believe in it.
