"The riders we expected most from in the spring are out": Oliver Naesen concerned by Decathlon's long list of injuries

For Oliver Naesen, the start of the season is always a little bit sluggish as the early races' main purpose is a preparation for the cobbled classics. Yet while the road captain at Decathlon CMA CGM is only getting into the operating temperature, his colleagues have already secured five victories early into the year. The latest was that of Paul Seixas in the second stage of Volta ao Algarve.

"We are strong across the board and things are going very well," says Naesen with great satisfaction about the start of the season for Decathlon CMA CGM, speaking at Sporza.

However there's a "but" hiding inbetween the lines - the team's leaders have been struck by some seriously bad luck. Olav Kooij is forced to sit out start of the season due to a persistent virus, Tiesj Benoot's entire spring is in ruins due to a hernia. And on Thursday, leadout Robbe Ghys was added to the list with a fractured collarbone at UAE Tour.

"We have 30 riders in the team, and in a career of 10 to 15 years, everyone has their share of bad luck, but it is indeed a lot all at once. The riders we expected most from in the spring are out. Our schedule has already been shifted quite a bit. Those guys need to be replaced, and that changes a lot, but for me personally, not really."

However the loss of Tiesj Benoot with view to the whole spring campaign is by far the hardest blow as the Belgian was Decathlon's best shot at a podium result on the cobbles, and perhaps even a victory. But instead, he had to undergo a surgery to treat a hernia.

"In December, Tiesj was already experiencing a lot of difficulty sitting and walking during his training camp, but not while cycling," Naesen explains. "We thought it might be a torn muscle from running, because that's what he enjoys doing. But with rest in January, it only got worse. After several scans, it turned out to be a hernia."

"Tiesj is handling it very well, but it's undoubtedly a dark period. He's new to the team and comes with a new role and a lot of expectations. Missing the spring is very frustrating."

While Benoot's absence allows Naesen to move up in the pecking order of Decathlon, he was very much looking forward to working for a leader with winning ambitions, something the French team lacked in recent seasons: "I wanted to be there with Tiesj in the tougher classics. Last year, that pressure was on my shoulders, but I'm noticing that it's getting harder to get a result. Now I have to help save the day. We'll see what that brings."

Fortunately, there are also some good news for the team of Oliver Naesen as Paul Seixas continues his rapid uprise at the Volta ao Algarve where he won the key second stage ahead of Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida. And his 35-year-old Belgian teammate is nothing short of impressed in his comments about the young supertalent.

"I rate him very highly," says Naesen of his 19-year-old teammate. "But he's not the only good rider in the peloton, you know. I think we've seen the first victory of a long series. He's handling it very maturely. I think back to when I was 19, a long time ago. The pressure just melts off him like water off a duck."