"We cleared the air": French rider reveals internal conflict at Groupama - FDJ during difficult 2025

Groupama - FDJ is beginning a new chapter. With the legendary Marc Madiot stepping down and Thierry Cornec taking over as General Manager, the team is undergoing a significant cultural shift. After narrowly avoiding the relegation zone last year, the team is now openly prioritizing the UCI points system.

The 2026 season marks year one of the new UCI promotion/relegation cycle, and Groupama - FDJ is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the previous triennium. The decline was actually huge: they fell from a comfortable 7th in the world rankings in 2023, to 10th in 2024, before plummeting to 18th last season.

One of the few bright spots was Romain Grégoire, who had a breakout season with six victories. However, the rest of the the team's established leaders struggled. Valentin Madouas, the former French champion, was blunt about the team's underperformance.

"Romain saved things a little, but leaders like David Gaudu, Paul Penhoët or myself did not get the results we should have had," he said in quotes gathered by Domestique. Surprisingly, Madouas claimed his physical condition was not the issue. "Yet I had the best physical values of my life."

Instead, he pointed to organizational problems behind the scenes. "With the staff, there were lots of misunderstandings between the different departments: training, medical, the sports directors," Madouas revealed. "After the Tour de France, we cleared the air. That did a huge amount of good for everyone. We are starting again with a completely different dynamic."

To fix these issues, the team has restructured its staff and signed several new pieces. Madouas highlighted the arrival of riders such as Ewen Costiou (from Arkéa), Clément Berthet (who is set to lead the team at the Giro d'Italia), and Bastien Tronchon (who will target the Flemish classics).

"The team has structured itself, mainly in the staff, and added depth in riders," Madouas noted, calling them "great signings."

"We are not going to beat a Pogacar or a Van der Poel on pure power, but we can do it by anticipating with a group of three or four riders. This consistency can allow us to challenge them and also get as many top fives as possible. Because the goal will also be to score."