"There's probably close to a 0% chance" - Breakout WorldTour sprinter expects to miss 2027 Tour de France despite beating cycling's biggest names
Cycling
Tobias Lund Andresen beat some of the world's biggest sprinters during a breakthrough 2026 season, but the 24-year-old Dane believes his chances of riding the 2027 Tour de France are virtually non-existent.
Despite three WorldTour victories and a string of impressive Classics performances, Andresen expects Olav Kooij to take priority in Decathlon CMA CGM Team's plans for next July.
Andresen opened his first campaign with the French team by winning a stage of the Tour Down Under, then beat Matthew Brennan to claim the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race before adding another victory at Tirreno-Adriatico. On stage three of the Italian race, he outsprinted Arnaud De Lie, Jasper Philipsen, Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan.
His performances in the Classics were equally encouraging. Sixth at Omloop Nieuwsblad and E3 Saxo Classic was followed by second place behind Philipsen at In Flanders Fields, formerly Gent-Wevelgem, where Decathlon helped chase down Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert in the closing kilometres to give Andresen a shot at victory.
Tobias Lund Andresen celebrates winning stage 3 of the 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico
"I'm not going there to do lead-outs"
"There's probably close to a 0% chance," Andresen admitted on the latest episode of Eurosport Denmark's Radio Tour podcast. "Olav [Kooij] is the one who's going to ride. I know Paul [Seixas] has just said that he'd like to make it work with the World Championships."
Kooij arrived from Team Visma | Lease a Bike alongside Andresen ahead of the 2026 season, giving Decathlon two sprinters capable of winning at WorldTour level. The emergence of Seixas as a genuine Grand Tour contender has further complicated the French team's plans for next July.
The 20-year-old finished fourth on his Tour de France debut this summer before winning his first Monument at Il Lombardia in October. Whether he returns to the Tour in 2027 remains undecided, however, with the Giro d'Italia also under consideration as he builds towards the World Championships on home roads in Haute-Savoie.
Seixas has made no secret of his desire to return to the Tour, particularly with next year's route passing close to his grandparents' home. Andresen expects the Frenchman to be there. "I don't see why he wouldn't ride the Tour de France," he said. "And I'm not going there to do lead-outs. That's not going to happen. I don't believe that will happen."
Andresen's arrival at Decathlon during the same transfer window as Kooij had prompted questions about whether the Dane would still be able to pursue his own victories. He insists there was never any uncertainty within the team.
"It's funny how much talk there's been about whether I'd be allowed to ride for myself or whether I'd just have to do lead-outs," Andresen explained. "It's always been completely clear that we're separate, and that we both have our own lead-out trains."
Andresen made his Tour de France debut with Team Picnic PostNL in 2025, finishing third on a stage. A maiden Grand Tour victory remains elusive, despite the speed he demonstrated against the likes of Philipsen, Milan and De Lie this spring.
Illness leaves Australian return in doubt as Classics become 2027 priority
Andresen finished second on the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia in May, but later revealed that he had continued racing while suffering from mononucleosis. His final appearance came at the Copenhagen Sprint on 14 June, where another runner-up finish was followed by an extended period away from competition.
Although he returned to riding in October, the interruption has left him doubtful about beginning his 2027 campaign in Australia, where he enjoyed such a successful start to this year.
"A lot depends on Olav. It all comes down to how they put their season together," Andresen said. "I'd like to start in Australia, but I don't think I'll be ready in time because of my illness. Then I'd just like to ride as many Classics as they'll let me. After that, it'll probably be the Giro. And then the European Championships, which will probably be my main goal."
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Andresen's hopes of a more substantial Classics programme come after a spring in which he proved capable of surviving demanding races and still competing against the fastest finishers. Those performances could give Decathlon another option in events where a conventional bunch sprint is unlikely.
The Giro would offer another opportunity to claim a Grand Tour stage victory. Andresen has already finished two editions of the Italian race without a win, although his second place on the opening stage in 2026 was his closest attempt yet.
With Kooij expected to take the Tour sprinting opportunities, Andresen could instead find himself leading Decathlon's ambitions in the Italian Grand Tour. Much will depend on his recovery, particularly after illness has already cast doubt over his preferred start to the season.
If Australia proves too early, the opening Classics of 2027 could provide the first real indication of whether Andresen has regained the form that made him one of the revelations of the previous spring.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- 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
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- 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
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
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