“Founder and former team leader fired by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale”

Vincent Lavenu (68 years old) has been fired by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. According to L’Equipe He is the founder of the French cycling team, who retired as official team president in 2022, having been removed from his position by the current board of directors.

After founding AG2R La Mondiale in 1992, Lavenu has always been in control of the cycling team. In 2022, he will have to sell the team to insurance company AG2R La Mondiale. Initially, Lavenu was still general manager, but under the new team boss he has been “demoted” to the role of sporting director. He has effectively lost his position of power, insiders told L’Equipe.

After the last Tour de France, Lavenu was told by email that he was being fired, after which he had to hand over his phone, computer and car. In a conversation with current team boss Dominique Serreze, his dismissal was confirmed, after which Lavenu became unwell and emergency services had to be called to the scene. A lawyer has since been speaking on behalf of Lavenu, who is no longer listed on the team website.

According to sources, the current management of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale blames Lavenu for not informing the management quickly enough about the doping investigation that began with Franck Bonamour. The French rider was subsequently fired by the team in March.