Decathlon CMA CGM to launch women's team from 2027

The new team will have 12 riders in its first season and operate as part of Decathlon CMA CGM’s NewGen programme, which is led by former professional Guillaume Bonnafond. The longer term aim is to step up to the Women’s WorldTour.

Based at the team’s performance centre in La Motte Servolex, the squad will share facilities and expertise with the men’s operation. The riders will also use Van Rysel bikes, in line with the men’s WorldTour team.

An experienced sports director and coach will lead the team, supported by two assistant sports directors, two mechanics, a doctor, physiotherapist and nutritionist, as well as physical and mental performance coaches.

The launch is the latest step in Decathlon CMA CGM’s expansion. Decathlon took full ownership of the company behind the team at the end of the 2025 season, succeeding AG2R La Mondiale as sole owner.

CMA CGM joined as a title partner from the start of 2026.

Decathlon Cycling Team General Manager Dominique Serieys called it a decisive step for the team in the press release.

"The launch of our women's team marks a decisive step in the development of our strategic project. It fits fully into our desire to build a major reference in cycling, embodied by the diversity of talents and driven by collective ambition. It should allow a new generation of riders to reach the highest level and stay there in the long term."

Backed by Decathlon, the men’s team is rapidly closing in on cycling’s elite, with French prodigy Paul Seixas embodying its growth and ambition.

The same long term ambition underpins the women’s project. Bonnafond said the team is intended to bridge the gap between the youth ranks and the Women’s WorldTour.

“We want to offer young talents from road cycling, cyclocross and mountain biking an environment in which they can develop,” he said. “The objective is to build a sustainable team and join the WorldTour in the coming years.”

Decathlon CMA CGM said the team will work closely with the French Cycling Federation to identify and develop riders. 

The announcement comes during a period of continued growth for women’s cycling in France. According to figures published by the team, the 2025 Tour de France Femmes attracted 26 million television viewers, 7.4 million more than the previous edition. The number of licensed female riders in France has risen by 23 per cent since 2023.