Decathlon goes all-in on Dutch sprint train: "They started producing specifically for me"

Kooij's contract with Visma | Lease a Bike had expired, and he had his pick of teams. “You know your contract is ending and then the talks start,” explains the rider, who already has 47 professional victories to his name at the age of 24.

These include stages in races such as Paris-Nice and the Giro d'Italia, but the Dutchman has not yet ridden the Tour. At Decathlon CMA CGM, that is set to change. “The program was important in that respect, with sprinting as a priority. The support and the equipment were also important to me,” Kooij explains his choice.

Hoole is leaving Lidl-Trek after four successful years. “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,” the sprinter admits.

“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,” said Hoole, who was still allowed to ride the Vuelta alongside team leader Mads Pedersen. “Mads 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,” explains Hoole, who will also have more opportunities to go for his own chances. 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."

“We talked about time trials for a long time, especially with my height,” says Hoole, who is pleased with the French team's equipment. “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.”

Bol is transferring from XDS-Astana, where he was part of Project Cavendish. Now he will be Kooij's lead-out. “Decathlon is a great team, and Olav is, of course, a top sprinter. 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.”

Bol brings the necessary experience with him from XDS-Astana. “In the beginning, management approaches you with an exploratory question, but ultimately, Olav's choice is the most important. Then it becomes increasingly concrete. 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,” said the lead-out.

“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,” explains the North Holland native, who will once again be sacrificing his own chances.

“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,” he says honestly. “I do enjoy racing at the highest level, so in this case, I choose to stay at the highest level and do lead-outs.”

With Robbe Ghys also there, Tobias Lund Andresen is mainly there to go for his own chance—Kooij has a top train at his disposal. “There's a trend in cycling that the level is getting higher and higher, and it's getting faster and faster,” Bol says from experience. "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. "