French national road champion Paul Lapeira has extended his contract with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, signing a deal to stay at the French team until the end of 2027.
The 24-year-old, who hails from Fougères in Brittany, turned pro with the WorldTour squad in 2022 after rising through the ranks at the AG2R junior and under-23 development teams.
A winner of Il Piccolo Lombardia in 2021, Lapeira progressed during his first two years as a professional before enjoying his best season in 2024.
Last year, he took his first pro win at March’s Classic Loire Atlantique with a 20km solo ride before going on to win again with a late attack at the Cholet Agglo Tour the next day.
In April, he scored his first career WorldTour victory on stage 2 of Itzulia Basque Country in Kanbo before racing to the French national title in June. His fifth and most recent win came at La Polynormande in August.
The season also saw him take on the Tour de France for the first time, while he finished in the top five at Amstel Gold Race in the spring, further underlining his one-day race potential.
“This is a renewal that happened naturally, without leaving any room for doubt. I completed all my training within the team’s program, and with great progress to my name, it encouraged me to continue on this path,” Lapeira said.
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“I am happy to extend for two more years, until 2027, which will bring my total years with the team to six at the end of the contract. It’s starting to make a great story. I think I’m in the right place to continue to progress over the next three years and bring the team the best possible results.
“I am confident in the future of the training, and the vision of the project for 2028 brings serenity. I would like to thank our partners, AG2R La Mondiale, who have supported us for many years, as well as Decathlon more recently, and Van Rysel, who provide us with cutting-edge equipment.”
Lapeira is set to make his 2025 season debut at the upcoming Tour Down Under (January 21-26). He’s joined on the Decathlon AG2R provisional startlist by Andrea Vendrame, Dorion Godon, Geoffrey Bouchard, and Bastien Tronchon, plus neo-pros Noa Isidore and Jordan Labrosse.
