"I would like it if he came along": Decathlon teammate hopes for Olav Kooij to make Tour de France selection
Cycling
Olav Kooij's 2026 season was meant to underline his reputation as one of the peloton's fastest men, however a knee injury in winter put a lengthy stop to his preparation. Thus we didn't see the young Dutchman in action until the very end of May when he returned in style with two stage wins at Boucles de la Mayenne.
Kooij's move to Decathlon CMA CGM last winter was the embodiment of the 24-year-old's ambition to become his team's leading figure - something he would have a hard time achieving at Visma | Lease a Bike alongside Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert. With eyes set on the Tour de France triumph, there was simply no room for a secondary objective, such as sprint finishes with Kooij.
That was supposed to be different at the French team, but... will it be? The young supertalent Paul Seixas made a rocket rise this season and immediately secured a podium contender badge among fans and experts alike, even though he's never ridden a Grand Tour.
And that comes across as bad news for Kooij, because there'll no longer be a fully dedicated train for bunch finishes, although Decathlon appears to intend to stay true to their promise and give Kooij his fair opportunity at the Tour. But it could become his last chance...
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There isn't a certainty yet
But whether Kooij indeed travels for Grand Depart in Barcelona willl only become clear with time, and especially depending on how his preparation race Baloise Belgium Tour unfolds.
In de Leiderstrui spoke with Kooij's teammate and expected sprint train cog, Daan Hoole during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. "I would like it if he came along. He is a good friend of mine and, of course, we came to the team together," the Dutchman said.
"My role for the sprints is something I get a lot of enjoyment out of. We shall see," Hoole concluded, without spoiling whichever turn of events.

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
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- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
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