Groupama–FDJ () is a French

cycling team A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

level. The team is managed by

Marc Madiot Marc Madiot (born 16 April 1959) is a French former professional road racing cyclist and double winner of Paris–Roubaix. He also competed in the Cycling at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race, individual road race event at ...

, a former

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most com ...

and winner of the

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...

classic in 1985 and 1991. The team is predominantly French.

History

The team was founded on the initiative of Marc Madiot after he retired from racing in 1994 following a leg-breaking crash in that year's edition of

. After a period in the mid-1990s when the professional cycling scene in France was contracting – resulting in the 1996

French National Road Race Championships The French National Road Race Championship is a cycling race where the French cyclists decide who will become the champion for the year to come. The event was established in 1899, a professional championship was established in 1907 and the women' ...

elite race being held on a

pro–am Pro–am (or pro/am, pro am, ProAm; a contraction of professional–amateur) refers to a sporting event where both professional career athletes and amateurs compete. It could also refer to a collaboration between professionals and amateu ...

basis due to the reduced number of professional riders – by the time of the team's launch in 1997 they faced competition for riders in France from fellow newcomers as well as the expanding team and the already established outfit. The team's initial lineup included younger French riders such as teenagers Nicolas Vogondy and

Damien Nazon Damien Nazon (born 26 June 1974) is a former French racing cyclist. He finished in last place in the 1998 Tour de France. Nazon took a total of 33 victories during his career, including stage wins in the Dauphiné Libéré, the Grand Prix du Mi ...

as well as more experienced foreign racers like

Davide Rebellin Davide Rebellin (9 August 1971 – 30 November 2022) was an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1992 and 2022 for twelve different teams, taking more than sixty professional wins. He was considered one of the ...

Mauro Gianetti Mauro Gianetti (born 16 March 1964 in Lugano) is a Swiss former professional road cyclist and later directeur sportif. Gianetti was employed as team manager for the cycling team throughout its existence between 2004 and 2011. In 2016, Gianetti c ...

Max Sciandri Maximilian Sciandri (born 15 February 1967) is a retired Great Britain, British road racing cyclist of Italy, Italian descent. He competed as an Italian national up to February 1995, then took British citizenship. He won the bronze medal in the ...

and Andrea Peron. The inaugural squad also included the reigning French national champions in road racing, time trialling and cyclo-cross – Stéphane Heulot,

Eddy Seigneur Eddy Seigneur (born 15 February 1969) is a French former professional road racing cyclist. His sporting career began with VC Beauvais Oise. He won the Champs-Élysées stage in 1994 Tour de France. He is a four-time French national time trial c ...

and Christophe Mengin respectively. In their first season the team only took a total of 13 wins and won the UCI Road World Cup – however these included several high-profile victories such as

Frédéric Guesdon Frédéric Guesdon (born 14 October 1971) is a French former professional road bicycle racer who competed as a professional between 1995 and 2012, most notably for UCI ProTeam , spending 16 years of his career with the team. Guesdon was born in ...

's triumph at

, a stage win for Mengin at the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

and victories for Rebellin at the

Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the m ...

and

Züri-Metzgete Züri-Metzgete (Zürich German; ; ) was a European Classic cycle races, Classic cycle race held annually in Zürich, Switzerland, and continued as a non-professional mass participation event from 2007 until 2014. It was a race with a long history ...

. In the 2003 edition of

, Australian

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

specialist

Bradley McGee Bradley John McGee (born 24 February 1976) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS). He started cycling in 1986 at the age of ten. He lives in Sydney ...

won the prologue stage to wear the

yellow jersey The general classification of the Tour de France is the most important classification of the race and determines the winner of the race. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification has worn the yellow jersey ( ). History For the first t ...

for a few days. McGee was also able to win the prologue of the following year's

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

, wore the pink jersey for three days and finished the race in the top ten (finishing eighth). Sprinter

Baden Cooke Baden Cooke (born 12 October 1978) is an Australian retired professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2000 and 2013. Early life Born in Benalla, Victoria, Cooke began competitive cycling at 11. He completed secondary sc ...

won the

green jersey In road bicycle racing (e.g. Grand Tour stage races), the green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the most consistent highest finisher in the competition. While the overall race leader in the Tour de France will wear the yellow je ...

for the points competition. On 31 October 2012, it emerged that BigMat would no longer sponsor the team, with the team choosing to focus on finding another co-sponsor for the 2014 season.

Sponsorship

The team has been sponsored by Française des Jeux – the operator of France's national lottery – since its founding in 1997. Française des Jeux owns a majority of shares in the team, and the team is based in a warehouse owned by Française des Jeux on the outskirts of Paris: according to Madiot the team and the sponsor have a close working relationship. The team was named FDJeux.com in 2003 and 2004, then renamed Française des Jeux, supposedly to avoid bad luck, until July 2010, when the name was simplified to its initials. Prior to the 2012 season, French building merchants BigMat joined the team as co-sponsors, becoming FDJ–BigMat, contributing €2 million to the team. Following the departure of BigMat, the team renamed itself FDJ.fr. At the end of 2017, the team announced that they secured a sponsorship deal with French insurance group Groupama for the 2018 season, becoming Groupama–FDJ, contributing investment that increased the team's budget from €16 million to €20 million for next season.

Doping

In February 2019, Austrian newspaper ''

Kronen Zeitung The ''Kronen Zeitung'' (), commonly known as the ''Krone'', is Austria's largest newspaper. It is known for being Eurosceptic. History The first issue of the ''Kronen Zeitung'' appeared on 2 January 1900. Gustav Davis, a former army officer, ...

'' broke news that a number of professional cyclists had been implicated in the doping scandal uncovered at the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. Georg Preidler confessed to having his blood extracted for a possible transfusion. On 3 March, Preidler confessed to Austrian police, whilst also terminating his contract with the team via email. Preidler was due to race during the previous weekend, later admitting to having his blood drawn on two occasions late in 2018. The team then contacted the

Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces di ...

(UCI), the

French Anti-Doping Agency The French Anti-Doping Agency (, AFLD) is an independent public authority formed in 2006 and charged with ensuring that participants in sports in France do not violate rules regarding doping. As a national anti-doping organization ( NADO), the ...

() and the Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible (MPCC; ).

Team roster

Major wins

Continental & National champions

;1998 :

French Cyclo-cross Christophe Mengin ;2002 : MaillotFra

French Road Race Nicolas Vogondy ;2004 : MaillotAustralia

Australian Road Race Matthew Wilson : MaillotSuecia

Swedish Time Trial

Thomas Löfkvist Thomas Löfkvist (born 4 April 1984) is a Sweden, Swedish former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for the UCI Professional Continental team . Since 2015 Thomas Löfkvist is general manager of Sweden, Swedish professional cycling team ...

French Track (Individual pursuit) Nicolas Vogondy ;2005 : MaillotFra

French Cyclo-cross

Francis Mourey Francis Mourey (born 8 December 1980) is a French former professional cyclo-cross and road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2017. He won the 2013 Tro-Bro Léon, leading home an clean sweep of the podium as teammates Joha ...

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen : MaillotFra

French Track (Team pursuit) Nicolas Vogondy ;2006 : MaillotFin

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen : MaillotFin

Finnish Cyclo-cross Jussi Veikkanen : MaillotSuecia

Swedish Time Trial

Gustav Larsson Gustav Erik Larsson (born 20 September 1980) is a Swedish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2016 for nine different teams. Larsson specialised as a time trialist, winning the Swedish National Tim ...

Swedish Road Race

French Track (Team pursuit)

Mathieu Ladagnous Matthieu Ladagnous (born 12 December 1984) is a French former road and track racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2006 to 2023, spending his entire career with UCI WorldTeam . Riding entirely for the team and its succeeding ite ...

French Track (Team pursuit)

Mickaël Delage Mickaël Delage (born 6 August 1985) is a French former professional road and track cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Libourne, Delage participated at the World Track Championships in Moscow in 2003 as a junior, where he w ...

;2007 :

French Cyclo-cross

French Time Trial Benoît Vaugrenard ;2008 : MaillotFra

French Cyclo-cross

Belarusian Road Race

Yauheni Hutarovich Yauheni Hutarovich (born 29 November 1983) is a Belarusian former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2007 and 2016 for the , , and teams. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Career In th ...

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen ;2009 : MaillotBielorrusia

Belarusian Road Race

;2010 :

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen ;2011 : MaillotFra

French Cyclo-cross

French Track (Individual pursuit)

U23 World Road Race,

Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a French professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Having turned professional in 2012 and specialising as a sprinter, Démare has taken almost 100 wins as a professional, including 1 ...

;2012 :

Belarusian Road Race

French Road Race

Nacer Bouhanni Nacer Bouhanni (born 25 July 1990) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2011 to 2023. A sprinter, he was the winner of the 2012 French National Road Race Championships. Although his first Grand To ...

;2013 :

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen : MaillotFra

French Cyclo-cross

French Road Race

Arthur Vichot Arthur Vichot (born 26 November 1988) is a French former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2020, for the and teams. He is the nephew of Frédéric Vichot, who won stages in the Tour de France in 1984 and 1985. Pro ...

;2014 :

Finnish Road Race Jussi Veikkanen : MaillotFra

French Cyclo-cross

French Road Race

;2016 :

French Road Race

French Time Trial

Thibaut Pinot Thibaut Pinot (born 29 May 1990) is a French former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2010 to 2023, spending his entire career with . Once considered one of the most promising talents in French cycling, he finis ...

Lithuanian Time Trial Ignatas Konovalovas ;2017 : MaillotSuecia

Swedish Time Trial Tobias Ludvigsson : MaillotLituania

Lithuanian Time Trial Ignatas Konovalovas : MaillotFra

French Road Race

Lithuanian Road Race Ignatas Konovalovas ;2018 : MaillotSuecia

Swedish Time Trial Tobias Ludvigsson : Canadian Road Race Antoine Duchesne : Austrian Time Trial Georg Preidler : MaillotSuiza

Swiss Road Race Steve Morabito : MaillotFra

French Road Race

Anthony Roux Anthony Roux (born 18 April 1987) is a French former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2008 to 2022 for UCI WorldTeam . Major results ;2005 : 1st Overall Tour de Lorraine Juniors : 8th Overall GP Général Patton ::1st S ...

French U23 Time Trial Alexys Brunel ;2019 : MaillotSuiza

Swiss Time Trial

Stefan Küng Stefan Küng (born 16 November 1993) is a Swiss cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is also a citizen of Liechtenstein. Career Küng won the individual pursuit at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, after beating Jac ...

French Time Trial Benjamin Thomas : MaillotLuxemburgo

Luxembourg U23 Time Trial Kevin Geniets : MaillotSuiza

Swiss Road Race Sébastien Reichenbach : MaillotSuecia

Swedish Time Trial Tobias Ludvigsson : European champion jersey 2016

European Track (Omnium) Benjamin Thomas ;2020 : MaillotSuiza

Swiss Time Trial

French Road Race

Luxembourg Road Race Kevin Geniets : European champion jersey 2016

European Time Trial

Swiss Road Race

;2021 :

Swiss Time Trial

French Time Trial Benjamin Thomas : MaillotLuxemburgo

Luxembourg Time Trial Kevin Geniets : MaillotLuxemburgo

Luxembourg Road Race Kevin Geniets : MaillotLituania

Lithuanian Road Race Ignatas Konovalovas : European champion jersey 2016

European Time Trial

;2022 :

French Time Trial

Bruno Armirail Bruno Armirail (born 11 April 1994) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is a double time trial national champion, winning the French National Time Trial Championships in 2022 and again in 2024. Major results ;2013 : ...

Hungarian Road Race

Attila Valter Attila Valter (born 12 June 1998 in Csömör) is a Hungarian professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2019 Valter joined the , having ridden for the Pannon Cycling Team the previous year. At the 2019 To ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groupama-FDJ Cycling teams based in France UCI WorldTeams Cycling teams established in 1997 1997 establishments in France