Marc Madiot questions trend of French riders leaving for foreign teams
Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot has expressed concern over the growing trend of French riders joining foreign teams. His comments came after Kévin Vauquelin, seventh in this year’s Tour de France, confirmed his move to Ineos Grenadiers for next season. Speaking on RMC’s Grandes Gueules du sport, Madiot said the shift highlights deeper issues within French cycling.
“Another French rider leaving for a foreign team,” Madiot said. “I know it’s fashionable among French cyclists. But we also need to think about the French teams, which are not as bad or as uncompetitive as some would like to make out.”
Madiot pointed to the financial structure of French teams as one of the key challenges. “We know that abroad the social system is more attractive,” he explained. “You’re more at ease abroad. If you’re in a French team, it’s immediately harder to manage, especially in terms of media exposure during the Tour de France. For a French rider, life is simply easier in a foreign team in many ways.”
According to Madiot, Groupama-FDJ tried to sign Vauquelin, runner-up at the Tour de Suisse and seventh overall at the Tour de France, but were unable to match the offer or his desire to leave France. “We tried,” he said. “There was a financial aspect, and also the desire to go abroad. That’s his choice.”
Vauquelin, who leaves Arkéa and B&B Hôtels as the team faces financial uncertainty, said his decision was about new experiences as much as ambition. “I had other offers, I had to weigh the pros and cons,” he told L’Équipe. “But just like when I instinctively signed with Arkéa, I had that same feeling with Ineos. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, not stay in France, and discover something new, a different culture. I listened to their project and how they saw me, but more importantly, they also listened to what I wanted.”
Vauquelin’s move follows that of Lenny Martinez, who joined Bahrain Victorious this season after leaving Madiot’s team. The 66-year-old sporting director noted that French squads face an uphill battle to keep their best riders.
“We’ve repeated so many times that French teams are bad, that they don’t know how to train, that they’re unstructured and old-fashioned,” he said. “But when foreign riders join my team, they’re always very surprised.”
As more French riders look abroad for opportunities, Madiot’s words feel less like nostalgia and more like a quiet call for change.
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