Decathlon CMA CGM have signed biathlete Émilien Jacquelin for their New Gen development program, the squad announced in a press release earlier this week, in the latest case of a skier moving into the world of professional cycling.
A recent gold medallist and bronze medallist in biathlon from the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Games and a double silver in Beijing in 2022, the 30-year-old French biathlete is a longstanding cycling enthusiast and has ridden a bike as part of his training for many years.
The team press release describes his greater focus on cycling as the fulfilment of a long-term ambition.
“Émilien has always maintained close ties with the team, whether with the riders or the coaching staff, and cycling is already a key component of his training for biathlon," Decathlon's Head of Performance Jean-Baptiste Quiclet added in the press release.
"In this post-Olympic year, the idea is to give him the opportunity to try his hand at cycling with the team’s support, so that he can develop his skills."
"We plan to conduct an evaluation cycle in late spring to better assess his profile: his explosive power in biathlon could very well make him an excellent sprinter on the road. We are banking on strong athletic potential and a high VO2 max, which, having already proven itself on skis, should come into its own on the bike.”
Started in 2024, the Decathlon CMA CGM NewGen team is the development program for the WorldTour squad, supporting riders from junior level to the pro ranks.
Whilst the most famous case in recent years of a winter sports athlete turned pro racer is undoubtedly Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), others who have formed part of the current peloton include the Slovenian's teammate and Tour de France podium finisher Florian Lipowitz, who used to compete in biathlon.
Others bridging the divide but who now have retired include Anton Palzer, who spent five years with Roglič's current team through to 2025, and former GC top ten Vuelta a España finisher Carl Fredrik Hagen. Back in the day, too, pro teams would regularly take their riders cross-country skiing in the winter as part of training camps.
“This is a project that has been brewing in the back of my mind. While the 2030 Winter Games in France remain a goal, I now feel the urge to explore something new and compete at the highest level in cycling by joining the Decathlon CMA CGM team," Jacquelin said in the same press release.
"I’ve always cycled, whether in my youth or during my physical training, but from now on, every day will be a new challenge."
Such is his enthusiasm for the sport that during the Winter Olympics, Jacquelin wore an earring belonging to the late Marco Pantani, his sporting hero, which the 1998 Tour de France winner's family lent to the Frenchman specially for the Games.
