Training Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale Make a good start of Tour de France. After this first day of rest, the Austrian climber Félix Gall Occupies 11th place in the general classification, 5 minutes 38 of the impressive Irish adventurer and new yellow jersey of this tower, Ben Healy (EF Education-Easypost). Present in Toulouse on the occasion of the 11th stage, 156.8 km long around the pink city, which saw the victory of Jonas Abrahamsen (UNO-X Mobility), the boss of the team Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale, Dominique Serieysspoke to the microphone of Cyclism’Actu on the future of French training.
“In the current state of things, you have to remain lucid and respectful …”
Dominique, if I tell you it's another turn that begins?
Anyway, a round that lasts three weeks, with more than 3,800 kilometers, with a second week when you enter the Pyrenees, yes, we can talk about the second phase of the Tour.
Second phase of the Tour and how is your leader, Félix Gall?
He's fine, we are satisfied. He is there, in the group of the best, with a very good condition. Clearly, it is more satisfactory than last year. He will be there.
Is your goal is a stage victory or a general top 10?
We are targeting both. A stage victory, of course, but we know that it also depends on the decisions of the big teams. Even if, for example, Ben Healy has produced two superb steps, which must be greet. We are still in the construction phase, but Félix should respond present in the Pyrenees, at Mont Ventoux and also in the Alps.
Isn't it a bit complicated to get the Pogacar or Vingegaard?
In the current state of things, we must remain lucid and respectful: they are superior. But we have a long-term plan, by 2032-2035, with objectives between 2028-2030. We structure ourselves for one day, go to compete with them … and beat them.
We talked about each other at the end of 2024, you mentioned your vision of the future. We are not going to come back to what has been said or written about the buyout, but … are you putting your paw there?
It's not necessarily my paw. It is a strategic plan that we designed with AG2R La Mondiale, Decathlon and Van Rysel, that we are implementing, and which will work.
“Seixas? A house runner capable of great victories …”
A new breath, as you said in 2024? Make different?
Yes. It is a merger, an amalgam, a construction that will bear fruit. It takes time, it would be utopian to think that everything will change in a year. Look at teams like Visma: it takes three to five years. But this year, we are in real progression. It is a year of consolidation: 16 victories, one at the Giro, a 7th place in Paris-Roubaix, even if the 5th was accessible. And on the Tour, we had a great time, with Bruno Armirail 4th, just 2.5 seconds from the podium. It is a major performance. The team was not known for its qualities in the background. And thanks to the Van Rysel equipment, cycling, combination, helmet, we are now competitive. You have to continue to work tirelessly.
To those who fear that there are fewer French runners in your team next year, what do you answer?
I answer two things. First, to date, nothing has been decided. Some seem better informed than me, but I still think I know what will happen. Secondly, each year, there is a natural turnover, with 20 to 30 % of runners at the end of the contract. Some are extended, others leave, others arrive. Yes, the team is becoming more international. Our future shareholder is present in 70 countries. It is therefore important to turn to markets like China, Germany or the United Kingdom. But it is not a French team that loses its French runners. On the contrary, our runners are asked abroad, which proves the quality of the work done here. I am happy when a runner, for personal or strategic reasons, finds a good contract elsewhere. It is a sign that the team has trained and valued them.
At the end of 2024, you told me, without disrespecting Félix Gall, that you wanted to find a runner capable of winning the Tour. Do you have it today?
Yes, we have it in mind.
But is it not available?
I didn't say that. In our analyzes, looking at the available profiles, we validated with our partners a strategy linked to New Gen: detection, training, development … to build a runner capable of winning a big tour. We have a nugget: Paul Seixas. And it may be a beautiful story with Decathlon, Van Rysel and Ag2r La Mondiale, to form a homemade runner capable of great victories. But not only. We will develop our strategy on several axes: classics, monuments. Paris-Roubaix is a major objective by 2026, we want to enter the top 5 from 2026. And the sprint will also become an important component, especially on classics and monuments.
Do you have to keep an eye on the tour of the future?
Yes. Paul (Seixas) is in the learning phase. He needs time. You have to leave it so that it works.
