Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Wednesday January 15, 2025 at 8:45 p.m.
Licensed by the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team that he founded in 1992, Vincent Lavenu recently formalized his joining the “Ma Petite Entreprise” project, the objective of which is to set up a professional team.
Vincent Lavenu will not have stayed far from professional cycling. Founder of the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team in 1992, the former runner was fired last August after being demoted to the position of sports manager. A misadventure that the native of Briançon was able to leave behind by finding a new project. If he intends to defend himself against his former employer, Vincent Lavenu announced Tuesday via social networks his decision to join the “Ma Petite Entreprise” structure initiated by several entrepreneurs, Simon Savre, Emeric Ducruet and Michaël Amand, in order to create a professional men's team and its female counterpart thanks to the support of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the ambitious objective of taking the start of the Tour de France by 2030. Interviewed by the daily The Teamthe former boss of the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team ensures that he joins this project to “encourage and support good people who have an initiative that (he) likes, carrying values and meaning in cycling”.
Lavenu wants to attract “thousands of partners”
Knowing two of the people behind this initiative, whom he presents as “entrepreneurs and cycling enthusiasts”, he got involved “initially on a voluntary basis” in order to “share (his) experience, (his) story” but also to “help create contacts, a network” if he has the opportunity. “The idea is not to have one big title partner but thousands of partners who come to supplement this budget and create a network between them,” explains the former professional team manager, who draws a parallel with the rugby, “where some big clubs have a thousand partners”. So that a team can be aligned from the start of the 2026 season, Vincent Lavenu does not hide that the deadlines are likely to be tight. “In April-May, we will have to have the level of commitments promised,” he added. Based on that, we will decide what type of team we are heading towards. » The idea of favoring a male or female team to launch the project is therefore on the table.
