End of the iconic brown-shorts era: AG2R La Mondiale to step down from cycling in 2026

French sponsor AG2R La Mondiale is reportedly due to end its partenrship with Decathlon as co-sponsor of the French WorldTour team, departing from the sport after 25 years. French newspaper Le Télégramme breaks the news.

AG2R have been a moving force behind the French team since the ancient cycling times when they joined Casino as co-sponsor in 1998. Casino stepped down from cycling in 1999, leaving AG2R as the sole title sponsor of the French team for over 20 years.

But in order to contest the rise of super teams, even the French team eventually started to look for sponsorship partner. First collaboration with Citroën lasted only three years, but it showed that the path existed for French teams to be competitive and that brought about the current lead sponsor Decathlon.

The departure of AG2R La Mondiale obviously leads a massive hole in the WorldTour team's budget, but according to Le Télégramme, a replacement is already ensured. French cosmetics company L'Oréal seems on-board the project from 2026. When Decathlon came on board, it was announced that the company would be a co-title sponsor until at least 2028, with the team riding their Van Rysel bikes.  

In addition, Le Télégramme informs that Matthew Riccitello (currently Israel - Premier Tech) will be one of the big new signings for the team in 2026, amplifying the report of transfer expert Daniel Benson who confirmed earlier that the American climber was no longer on the market.