The arrival of the CMA CGM group as a co-sponsor alongside Décathlon from 2026 to try to play elbows with the biggest armadas in the peloton is not at all to displease Christian Prudhomme. The director of the Tour de France did not hide his satisfaction this Tuesday before the departure of the 16th stage.
A budget that could exceed 40 million euros, big names in the peloton in sight to allow the team to evolve a notch above (Olav Kooij, Daan Hoole or even Tiesj Benoot are announced) and naturally revised ambitions clearly up for the coming years … The arrival as co-sponsor of the team of the rich and powerful CMA CGM group alongside Décathlon Noise on Monday on the sidelines of the second day of the Tour de France and on the eve of the 16th stage, this Tuesday with the highlight the arrival at the top of the legendary Mont Ventoux.
This weight reinforcement is obviously not neutral. By associating with the third world maritime transport company (the first French), Décathlon, which dreams of seeing its nugget Paul Seixas climbing on the highest step of the Great Loop, one day intends to hold the dart high with the largest armadas of the World Tour. Christian Prudhomme, delighted with this association and the new dimension in which the French team is preparing to rock, is the first to rub their hands.
Prudhomme: “The cake will be a little better shared”
The boss of the Tour did not hide his enthusiasm this Tuesday at the microphone of RMC. “This is excellent news,” said the former journalist, obviously thinking about his favorite race. “That French teams invest, it is obviously very important for the Tour”. Prudhomme sees even further, thinking about the new competition that this highly anticipated association will create.
“The cake will be a little better shared … The two or three largest teams have won, for several years, everything that is best among young people. It is essential that there are different teams who fight with each leader and that each leader can have a chance to win the Tour de France. “Because we always dream of victories of French runners,” adds the director of the Grande Boucle, far from being satisfied on this point in recent times. But that could change next year.
