{"id":250609,"date":"2026-06-29T15:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/29\/olav-kooij-gets-a-spot-as-decathlon-confirm-team-to-support-paul-seixas-at-tour-de-france\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:42:15","slug":"olav-kooij-gets-a-spot-as-decathlon-confirm-team-to-support-paul-seixas-at-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/29\/olav-kooij-gets-a-spot-as-decathlon-confirm-team-to-support-paul-seixas-at-tour-de-france\/","title":{"rendered":"Olav Kooij gets a spot as Decathlon confirm team to support Paul Seixas at Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-e401e3be-83ac-4fe2-8156-2dd6885cfa8e\">Paul Seixas and Olav Kooij have both been named by Decathlon CMA CGM for their eight-rider roster at the 2026<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tour-de-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Tour de France<\/a>. Speculation had been swirling for over a week if 19-year-old <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/should-paul-seixas-ride-the-tour-de-france-this-year-we-debate-the-pros-and-cons-for-french-super-talent-making-his-debut\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/should-paul-seixas-ride-the-tour-de-france-this-year-we-debate-the-pros-and-cons-for-french-super-talent-making-his-debut\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/should-paul-seixas-ride-the-tour-de-france-this-year-we-debate-the-pros-and-cons-for-french-super-talent-making-his-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">French talent Seixas<\/a> would recover enough from a recent crash to make his debut at the Grand Boucle.<\/p>\n<p>There was doubt also about <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/devastated-gregor-muhlberger-out-of-the-tour-de-france-could-olav-kooij-take-his-spot\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/devastated-gregor-muhlberger-out-of-the-tour-de-france-could-olav-kooij-take-his-spot\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/devastated-gregor-muhlberger-out-of-the-tour-de-france-could-olav-kooij-take-his-spot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kooij taking part in his first-ever Tour de France<\/a>, already a three-time stage winner at the Giro d&#8217;Italia at age 24. Now the debutant duo will have leadership roles as part of a line-up with Tiesj Benoot, Aur\u00e9lien Paret-Peintre, Nicolas Prodhomme, Cees Bol, Daan Hoole and Matthew Riccitello, also making his first appearance at the race.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-e401e3be-83ac-4fe2-8156-2dd6885cfa8e-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The confirmation Seixas&#8217; recovery was also confirmed today, just five days ahead of the Grand D\u00e9part of the Tour in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<div class=\"flex min-w-0 shrink items-center\"><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand inline-flex items-center\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aspect-video w-full min-h-[200px] lg:min-h-[330px] relative overflow-hidden bg-black\" data-jwp-carousel-container=\"\">\n<div class=\"absolute inset-0 size-full items-center justify-center bg-white\" data-jwp-carousel-fallback=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/gmvwmhupgi1715762145.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;After <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/still-bandaged-paul-seixas-finally-back-training-on-the-road-in-alps-ahead-of-tour-de-france-debut\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/still-bandaged-paul-seixas-finally-back-training-on-the-road-in-alps-ahead-of-tour-de-france-debut\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/still-bandaged-paul-seixas-finally-back-training-on-the-road-in-alps-ahead-of-tour-de-france-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my crash and withdrawal from the Tour [Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes]<\/a>, I was able to resume my training for the Tour de France almost as usual, adjusting a few sessions due to my injuries. With five days to go before the Grand D\u00e9part, I feel ready to give it my all to complete these three weeks and achieve the best possible finish,&#8221; he said in a team statement.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I\u2019m not setting a more specific goal because I\u2019m heading into the unknown \u2013 I\u2019ve never competed in a race this long and demanding before. I hope to be a key player, continue to improve, and also enjoy myself. This is the race I\u2019ve always dreamed of, and I realize how lucky I am to be able to compete in it so early in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The team delayed the announcement of their Tour squad until the conclusion of a weekend full of road National Championships, with neither Seixas nor Kooij competing at their respective Nationals. Seixas was healing from a crash on stage 8 at Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes where he suffered major road rash to his forearms and hip. Meanwhile, Kooij delayed the start of his season due to a lingering virus.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Kooij comes into the Tour with three wins this season, but in only nine days of racing, last winning stage 4 at Baloise Belgium Tour two weeks ago,<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-TqRaL2SP4wzExJNSwVEz7e\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-TqRaL2SP4wzExJNSwVEz7e slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;My start to the season wasn\u2019t what I\u2019d hoped for, but we managed to stay patient and keep working. The victories I\u2019ve earned in recent weeks, since returning to competition, have really boosted my confidence,&#8221; Kooij added in the team statement about his selection.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I know the competition will be fierce since we\u2019ll be racing in the world\u2019s biggest cycling race, but our goals are clear\u2014both for the team and for me: for Paul to finish as high as possible in the overall standings and win at least one sprint stage.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The duo will have support from a large number of Grand Tour veterans, Benoot making his 11th appearance in a three-week race and his first as part of the Decathlon team. Paret-Peintre, Prodhomme and Bol each have sevent Grand Tour appearances.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">With his start on stage 1 on July 4 in Barcelona, Paul Seixas, at the age of 19 years, nine months, and 10 days, will set the mark as the youngest rider since 1937 to have been part of the Tour de France.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;We\u2019ve put together a very well-rounded and united team, made up of riders profiles are well-suited to achieving our goals,&#8221; said Dominique Serieys, general manager and CEO of Decathlon CMA CGM.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;Paul Seixas will be making his Tour de France debut as part of this team, with the goal of achieving the best possible result while focusing on learning. Olav Kooij, who will also be competing in his first Tour France, will have several opportunities to showcase his speed in sprint finishes.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;With this lineup, the team led by Luke Rowe \u2013 who will be making his Grand tour debut tour a sports director \u2013 will aim for the general classification and will try to secure at least one stage victory whenever the opportunity arises.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-decathlon-cma-cgm-for-the-2026-tour-de-france\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"\/><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"article-body__section kiosq-b\" id=\"section-decathlon-cma-cgm-for-the-2026-tour-de-france\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span>Decathlon CMA CGM for the 2026 Tour de France<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul id=\"elk-ab5d616a-977a-4520-af0c-757dec6f3ee8\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">\n<li>Paul Seixas<\/li>\n<li>Olav Kooij<\/li>\n<li>Tiesj Benoot<\/li>\n<li>Matthew Riccitello<\/li>\n<li>Cees Bol<\/li>\n<li>Aur\u00e9lien Paret-Peintre<\/li>\n<li>Daan Hoole<\/li>\n<li>Nicolas Prodhoome<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"elk-4457cc14-0ea3-4ad0-9f57-10e5bc25409c\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><em><strong>The world\u2019s biggest bike race deserves world-class coverage. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go!<\/strong><\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=PreTDF26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong> <\/strong><\/em><u><em><strong>Find out more.<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/heading-into-the-unknown-dynamic-debutant-duo-of-paul-seixas-and-olav-kooij-confirmed-for-decathlon-cma-cgm-squad-at-tour-de-france\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Seixas and Olav Kooij have both been named by Decathlon CMA CGM for their eight-rider roster at the 2026 Tour de France. Speculation had been swirling for over a week if 19-year-old French talent Seixas would recover enough from a recent crash to make his debut at the Grand Boucle. There was doubt also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":250610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-250609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}