Oliver Naesen ahead of new season: “What UAE are doing is almost surreal”

This winter, Decathlon have taken yet another step with the arrival of CMA CGM — although for Naesen it is the first year he will do it without AG2R on his jersey. The sponsor he credits for his best results, a great working environment, and good colleagues, from Greg Van Avermaet to Romain Bardet.

But in the narrow existence of a pro cyclist, those are footnotes. Or, as Naesen puts it: “I’m focused on what my level is right now, not what it was — or could have been — in, say, 2018 or 2019.” Enough said.

Oliver, can you explain what has changed in the more than eight years you’ve been with this team?
“It has moved forward every year. But I see it like this: we’ve always tried to follow the trends in cycling a little bit, but since Decathlon came in, we’ve helped set the tone. Being ahead might be an exaggeration, but in terms of structure we’ve definitely caught up.”

What have you personally changed in concrete terms?
“Careful — it’s true for the whole peloton that things are being done differently. But with the arrival of Decathlon, there’s simply been a lot more budget and clout.”

So the ‘French way’ has disappeared?
“That’s an exaggerated term. In my first year with this team, we still rode a Tour podium with Romain Bardet.”

Is that really something that gets cultivated?
“If that were the case, you don’t ride a Tour podium. Back then we were already a good team, but you can’t compare it with where we are now. Now we have twice as many staff, a development team, a junior team, a women’s team next year, and so on. That obviously makes a big difference.”

When you joined, you were an up-and-coming talent…
(interrupts) “It’s still coming, you know!”

…and now you’re the experienced rider who works more for the team, and who never quite managed that one big win.
“It is what it is. When I joined this team, the objectives were different. We were happy if we got a top ten in a Classic, and that was exactly my goal too. Later, it became a podium — and I managed that. That final step to a win didn’t happen, but that’s perfectly OK.

“I’m largely riding in service now, but I’d still love to be in the mix for top-ten places in the Classics. Two years ago I was seventh in the Tour of Flanders. But with Olav Kooij coming in, ambitions in races like Gent-Wevelgem have changed. I’d also like to be part of a team that wins a lot.”

And that’s not the only thing changing — you’re not going to the Tour for the first time.
“That’s right. Normally it will be the Giro, so I hope it stays dry there.”

Was that your own request?
“Felix Gall is doing the Giro and I like riding with him. He really needs someone with experience in the peloton, so he can reach the finish without losing time. On the other hand, I also think: damn, maybe my Tour era is over. I’ll be 37 next year and I’m four years older than the second-oldest guy in the team, so if they’ve got a countdown calendar somewhere…”

We don't see any wrinkles yet.
(laughs) “I’ve got one of those LED masks and everything. But seriously: I think this could be my last contract.”

Do you notice in the numbers that it’s starting to decline?
“We did a testing day. Those young guys are smashing their records, and for me it was: big success, because I’m one percent below my record. Nice — but I’m not going to break my records anymore. An endless growth story would have been fun, but it’s not reality.

“There’s no sport that keeps you as grounded as cycling. I trained every day with Greg Van Avermaet and you could see it every single day: he was just that tiny bit better. I could follow him everywhere, but he was just a bit faster and stronger. And then you had Peter Sagan back then, who was even stronger. Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel were another level again — and then Pogi still had to come…

“And then there’s how homogeneous the peloton is. Omloop is raced on the old finale of the Tour of Flanders and these days it’s almost become a sprint race. If that were still the finale of Flanders, you’d get a sprint too. And look at how action-packed Flanders is nowadays…”

What is it like for you to race the Tour of Flanders against the Van der Poels and Pogacars?
“The cake that cycling is, is bigger than just the win. With those two at the start, there isn’t much dreaming — and they’ve also got a world-class team that completely sacrifices itself. How many times has Nils Politt finished in the top five? He was almost a contender himself, but now he can’t even think about a result.”

Is that an imbalance in cycling?
“Yeah, that’s a difficult one. The market is fairly self-regulating. Sky started a revolution, and other teams followed — but some went under as well. What UAE are doing now with those wins and UCI points is almost surreal: they win races everywhere, and basically without a real sprinter.”

Does it take away your desire to attack?
“You do have to think about it. For Flanders it’s always about anticipating this and that, but what are you going to do? Anticipate when there’s a TGV train behind you that can ride to the foot of the second Oude Kwaremont, then let the leader do their thing. You can’t do it on the first Kwaremont, because your limiting factor is your energy. I don’t see the solution.

“We’ll only be able to properly judge what they’re doing in a few years. Because he’s not going to keep it up for another ten years. It seems incredibly tough to live in his shoes. I recently saw a little clip of a pee break in training, with a fan sprinting up to him — he can barely pull his shorts back up… that’s just not fun.”

That’s something you don’t really have in Belgium, do you.
“With me, people look into my trolley in the supermarket and say: ‘Ah, a bag of crisps — what are we doing, mate?’ People over 60 know me, at least on the train. Then they look at me and go: ‘Uuuhhh… who are you again?’ In a charming and polite way, but with Remco and Wout it’s different. For their coffee ride they practically need a dark corner table.”

How do you rate Paul Seixas?
“He’s outstanding, but what we really must not say is: the new Pogacar. That does Pogacar a disservice. But he’s genuinely exceptional. Nothing seems to stick to him, but… France is impatient too. If he goes to the Tour this year — which I would really recommend — that’s the only time it can be without pressure. If he finishes eighth, that’s brilliant. If he goes to the Tour after already finishing fifth in the Vuelta, then expectations come with it.”

What are your expectations of him?
“You’ve got young riders who arrive at the team already hyper-professional: they know everything and can do everything. Then the chances are small that there’s still much room to grow. But a guy like Paul… he forgot his shoes, his bike computer wasn’t charged, and he arrived without a heart-rate strap. There’s still room there — he’s super relaxed. And that’s a gift.”

How are things with Tiesj and the other Dutchmen in the group?
“I was a trainee with Tiesj at Lotto back in 2014, so we’ve known each other a long time. He’s a great addition: a very smart guy. It’s not that you automatically have that know-how because he came from Visma — it’s more that he’s smart enough to translate it in every language, too.”

He took your Tour spot, didn’t he?
(grins) “I think so, yes. But he brings more, too. His physical qualities, but also his vision. And as for the Dutch guys: all my friends at Lidl-Trek are insanely jealous that we have Daan on board. He’s a dream guy to have in the team — as a rider, but also as a person. He reminds me of Stijn Vandebergh in a previous life: also a dream to sit behind, with that height. “And if you sign someone like Kooij, you obviously need a high-quality lead-out train with him.”

Final question: two years ago you put yourself on the line with your comments about the super-good Van Rysel bike, last year it was the fast skinsuit, and now…
“Everything has been optimised and we’ve made big steps in nutrition, but that’s a bit less ‘my thing’. Put me on my bike in my kit and I can feel how it is — but you don’t have that feeling with food. So we’ll have to see in the races.”