After almost three decades at the helm, Marc Madiot is preparing to hand over day-to-day control of the team he founded. The move will mark the end of one of the longest-running leadership tenures in modern pro cycling.
The 66-year-old Frenchman confirmed to L’Équipe on Saturday that he will step down as general manager of Groupama-FDJ. Longtime deputy Thierry Cornec (a former top amateur from teams like VC Châteaulin and VS Quimper) set to take over. The transition will take place in April, when Madiot turns 67, though the shift has already begun behind the scenes.
“For me, it was time,” Madiot said. After decades of making the final calls, he believes the moment is right to open the door for new leadership.
Madiot described the team as “a second child,” a project he built from the ground up after launching La Française des Jeux in 1997.
As a pro, Madiot won twice at Paris-Roubaix, as well as a memorable stage at the Tour, among many other results. He raced mostly for French teams, with the exception being Telekom and Subaru-Montgomery (which later became US Postal.)
During his tenure, he also launched a women’s team–home now to one of the best in the sport, Demi Vollering. (Which goes against some of the things he said as a younger man…)
Rather than walking away entirely, Madiot will move into a chairman role. He will also remain involved with sponsors. Cornec joined as deputy general manager in June 2024. He said to L’Équipe that Madiot will continue to play a key role in long-term development, even as operational control changes hands.
Watch Madiot’s absolutely legendary broadcast of Madouas’s Olympic silver
As a manager, he became one of the defining figures in French cycling, known for his fiery passion and old-school intensity. Under his leadership, Groupama-FDJ earned a reputation as a breeding ground for domestic talent. The team helped shape riders such as Frédéric Guesdon, Sandy Casar, Thibaut Pinot, Arnaud Démare and David Gaudu. There were plenty of other big names on the squad, including Dane Lars Michaelsen, American Chris Horner, and Phillipe Gilbert.