The AG2R Citroën team is rumored to be parting ways with team sponsor and frame manufacturer BMC at the end of this year after a three-year partnership.

According to an article published by the French newspaper Ouest France (opens in new tab), the French team will leave BMC at the end of the year and switch to Van Rysel bikes starting with the 2024 season.

Van Rysel is the performance road division of French chain Decathlon. Decathlon produces bikes, components, and cycle clothing under the Van Rysel brand name.

Decathlon bikes have a history of being used by French teams at the highest levels of the sport; AG2R has used Decathlon Penta and Btwin bikes in the past, and Cofidis has raced on Decathlon bikes in the past.

Van Rysel, launched in 2018, is led by Nicolas Pierron, who stated in a previous interview with Ouest France last year that "the hope is to be back on the World Tour in 2023," indicating the brand's strong Van Rysel is currently working with Coquelicot. Van Rysel currently supplies both cycling and casual wear to the Cofidis team.

The brand also presented seven new bike models this year at the Velofori show in Kortrijk, Belgium. The new models include a time trial bike, a gravel model, and a performance road machine. Also unveiled were clothing, footwear, and a smart trainer.

A concept bike named PNPL 3.0 was also on display, showcasing a partnership with Autodesk, a company specializing in generative design. This uses artificial intelligence to 3D print bikes and components. This could be useful, for example, in a world tour to produce custom time trial bar components.

Campagnolo currently supplies AG2R Citroën with group sets and wheels, but with more teams switching from Campagnolo in recent years, it will be interesting to see if their equipment will be on Van Reizel's bikes next year. If AG2R moves to Sram or Shimano, then Campagnolo will no longer be on World Tour bikes in 2024.

However, one of Van Reisel's new models, the RCR road bike, is likely to be equipped with Campagnolo on the stock model, so the Italian manufacturer will probably continue to ride it.

We recently reported that a new Campagnolo wireless groupset may be on the horizon.

Cyclingnews has reached out to AG2R Citroen for comment, but so far the team has remained tight-lipped. We will provide more details as they become available.