'A crucial milestone' – Decathlon CMA CGM to launch women's team in 2027

The men’s WorldTour team Decathlon CMA CGM has announced it will launch a professional women’s team from the start of the 2027 season.

The squad will consist of 12 riders, who are still to be revealed, and will begin at the ProTeam level, in the second tier of professional cycling.

The launch comes as part of Decathlon CMA CGM’s ‘2024-2030 strategic plan’, which aims to build the team into a global powerhouse over the course of its title sponsorship.

“The launch of our women’s team marks a decisive step in the development of our overall sporting project,” said team manager Dominique Serieys in a press release shared on Wednesday morning.

“It fully aligns with our ambition to build a leading name in cycling, shaped by the diversity of talent and driven by collective ambition.”

In its first year, the women’s team will be managed within Decathlon CMA CGM’s ‘NewGen’ programme, which also counts its men’s junior and Continental squads.

Like the men's squad, the team will be backed by sports retailer Decathlon and logistics company CMA CGM, and will receive equipment, including bikes, from Decathlon's Van Rysel brand.

Decathlon CEO Javier López described the team’s launch as a “crucial milestone” in the company’s strategy.

“Drawing on the expertise of our Performance Centre in Savoie, the NewGen dynamic, and the technical know-how of our Van Rysel brand, we aim to provide these young riders with an exceptional environment in which to grow and succeed,” López said.

“We are committed to offering this team the best possible conditions for success. With humility and determination, we are exceptionally proud to support women at the highest level.”

Founded in 1992, and previously known as AG2R La Mondiale, the men’s team began its title partnership with Decathlon in 2024, and has since seen its budget grow, from €30m to €40m in 2026, in a bid to become a super-team.

The men’s team’s star rider is 19-year-old Paul Seixas, who finished fourth at the Tour de France this month. Sprinter Olav Kooij also won a stage of the race.

Guillaume Bonnafond, who manages the Decathlon CMA CGM’s NewGen pathway, was clear in his ambitions for the new women’s team: “The objective is to build a sustainable team capable of joining the WorldTour circuit in the coming years,” he said in the press release.

There are still four men’s WorldTour teams who do not have any public plans for a professional women’s team, or links to an existing squad: Bahrain Victorious, Netcompany-Ineos, NSN Cycling and Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe.