Luke Rowe will join Decathlon-AG2R as a sport director after bringing an end to his career as a rider with Ineos Grenadiers. He will begin his new role on November 1 and lead Decathlon AG2R's Classic group.
The Welshman’s last race came at the E3 Saxo Classic in late March, where he sustained a concussion that would rule him out for the remainder of the Classics campaign.
In May, Rowe announced that he would retire from cycling at the end of this season, even though he had signed a two-year extension last winter. He spent his entire thirteen-year career with Ineos, previously Team Sky.
“I took a bit of time to reflect on my future and see what the new chapter would be,” Rowe said in a statement released by his new team.
“The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale project appealed to me, particularly with the big step forward made this year in terms of performance, but above all with the future project and the long-term vision. I will be eager to bring my experience from the years spent at the highest level and to support the riders, especially in the classics.
“The other part of this new project is the team’s ambition to become more international. Obviously, there are some incredible French talents but, with this approach, the team can also be a very attractive option for English speakers and international riders looking to join the team.”
The surprise move to Decathlon was first reported by Daniel Benson on his Substack page.
Rowe had recently cast a critical eye over Ineos’ travails in an episode of his podcast with teammate Geraint Thomas.
“I would question some of the recruitment,” Rowe said. “We haven’t got the best guy in the world. We haven’t got the second-best guy.”
As a domestique, Rowe helped Chris Froome, Thomas and Egan Bernal to overall victory at the Tour de France across his eight appearances in the race. He also recorded top 10 finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and he won a stage of the Tour of Britain as a neo-pro in 2012.
Rowe joins a Decathlon set-up that has undergone considerable change over the past year, with long-term manager Vincent Lavenu pushed out of the team this year.
The squad will lose Ben O’Connor to Jayco-Alula during the off-season, while new signings include Stefan Bissegger and junior time trial world champion Paul Seixas.
“The meeting with Luke Rowe happened naturally,” said Decathlon AG2R CEO Dominique Serieys.
“Luke will be at the centre of the Classics group, with various training camps and specific preparations set up to achieve these goals. It is a major step forward in structuring the sports department and supporting young riders towards the highest level.”
