Are Decathlon building cycling's new best leadout? - "Everyone has to say yes individually"

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are having new sponsors and a brand new budget into 2026 that saw them sign lots of quality riders - besides having Paul Seixas in development with unknown limits. But for next year already the team will be counting on Olav Kooij as its new head sprinter, with a brand new leadout that's all been signed and will look to ride into success together incolving several pieces.

“In the beginning, management approaches you with an exploratory question, but ultimately, Olav's choice is the most important. Then it becomes increasingly concrete," Cees Bol said in words to IDLProCycling. "In the end, everyone has to say ‘yes’ individually, because you have to really believe in it yourself. Fortunately, that was the case for everyone".

Bol was one of many signings by the French team, which includes also Robbe Ghys of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Daan Hoole of Lidl-Trek as leadout men for Kooij. Not only is there a common theme in terms of language, but all these riders have been signed with a specific intent. And they will all become new teammates to try and match some of the other best leadout trains in the world. “I don't know Olav very well. He's a quiet guy, but as a sprinter, he's obviously world-class. That makes it motivating to work for him".

Bol has been a sprinter for many years but over his time in Astana he's also developed himself as a leadout man. “I've also helped a lot of other riders this year, such as Max Kanter. Sometimes it's frustrating to sprint for yourself and then find time and again that I just don't have the top speed. I do enjoy racing at the highest level, so in this case, I choose to stay at the highest level and do lead-outs," he explains.

The gold standard being Lidl-Trek's leadout for Jonathan Milan, it is something the French team could achieve with its new men, taking into consideration Kooij's talent. “There's a trend in cycling that the level is getting higher and higher, and it's getting faster and faster. You're seeing more and more real sprint trains. You still need them, but you hardly ever see five guys in a line anymore. Teamwork is a bit more subtle."

Decathlon picked out the men very particularly and with the Visma rider coming in with a reported salary of €3 million, the most out of any sprinter ever in the sport, it's a major investment. There was a big incentive for Daan Hoole to join the masterplan. “It was a difficult choice and I hesitated for a long time, but in the end I decided to go. I had a great time at Lidl-Trek and the team is doing well, of course, so it was certainly not an easy choice," he told the Dutch news outlet. In Lidl-Trek he had a great season, winning at the Giro d'Italia and being part of an extreme success with the American team, but he also wants to have opportunities of his own and be part of a new project.

“It had been on my mind since the spring, but after Roubaix I decided to do it. I hesitated for a long time, but I think this is a good move. Mads [Pedersen] was disappointed, but he also understood why I was leaving. I'm going to miss Mads, of course, and he'll miss me too, because we've had a great four years together. Sometimes that's just how it goes.”

“Decathlon was also interested, but for me, it was more interesting with Olav. I'll have a bit more freedom in the classics, because we don't really have a leader like Mads. I want to continue to develop in the time trial, and for the rest, it will mainly be with Olav and the sprint train," he explains.

At age 26, there is still room for development, and Hoole could be a very interesting figure for the individual time trials if he continues to evolve. “We talked about time trials for a long time, especially with my height. It all looked good, and if it hadn't, I wouldn't have made the move. It's about my frame size: Decathlon has started producing a size larger, especially for me, which shows their confidence. And I'm also getting some custom stuff.”

“Decathlon is a great team, and Olav is, of course, a top sprinter," he assures. "The other guys who are coming along are also good riders and nice guys, so all in all, it's a great group. We can be ambitious with them. That makes it a really nice project.”