The rider

Aurélien Paret-Peintre is one of the most dependable mountain hands in the French peloton, a rider whose career has been built less on noise than on persistence. A Giro stage winner and twice a Tour top-25 finisher, he has spent his professional life in this team's colours, moving through eras, sponsors and tactical identities without losing usefulness. In 2026, his job is to bring all that accumulated Tour knowledge to a squad suddenly orbiting younger, brighter names.

The elder Paret-Peintre brother is especially valuable because he can read climbing days before they become decisive. He knows which early move is harmless, which descent requires the leader to be moved up, and which valley section will punish a team that has already spent too many helpers. Around Seixas and Riccitello, he becomes the experienced filter. He may not be the rider making the final selection, but he can make sure Decathlon still have the right riders present when that selection begins.

His own stage-hunting instincts remain alive. The Tour often rewards riders who are strong enough to survive with the favourites but just far enough down the hierarchy to be allowed into the right escape. Paret-Peintre fits that profile neatly. Whether he is pacing Seixas on the day's first hors-catégorie climb or slipping into a mountain break when the GC race pauses, he gives Decathlon a calm, durable option. In a young team, calm can be as valuable as acceleration.