"The speaking is a bit less, but the understanding is going pretty well. Especially when it comes to the race and you have a screen with words on it. I understand at least half, but the most important half."
Still, not everything depends on the Spanish language skills of Dekker, who started his professional career at Jumbo-Visma. "They really do speak English. The team leaders maybe a little less, because they are older. But the riders all understand and speak English, fortunately."
Strangely enough, Dekker immediately found home in the mostly-Basque formation. Euskaltel opened its doors to foreigners in 2025 and welcomed not only Dekker with open arms. "It's fun. There's a nice atmosphere. Spanish culture is a bit more relaxed. Not in terms of professionalism, but I really like the atmosphere in the team."
And that is immediately a contrast with his old employer Arkéa - B&B Hotels, for which Dekker raced the two years before. "In that respect I think so. I feel a bit more at home here. The French can be a bit more closed, which makes it harder for a foreigner to fully integrate into the team."
As a pro-continental team, it is also important for Euskaltel-Euskadi to collect enough points to qualify for wildcards for grand tours after the season. Just qualifying is enough for potential sponsors to commit to a team. "The points are simply important, so they often choose to sprint with two guys."
One of those guys is Dekker himself. With his fast legs he often had a good final shot in recent years. Last season he was not able to show those legs often, and this year Dekker is not lucky yet. "Things are going better. I got sick after Ruta del Sol, which meant I had to skip Le Samyn. After that I still haven't reached my level."
David Dekker was at the start of Région Pays de la Loire Tour on Tuesday as one of Euskaltel's main sprint hopes, but the illness is clearly still plaguing Dekker's form as he abandoned that race rather soon.