Kooij back to winning ways after long-awaited Decathlon debut: 'You just have to believe in it'

Olav Kooij sprinted to victory of stage 1 of Boucles de la Mayenne, a French stage race, in what was just his second race day of 2026 and in the colours of Decathlon CMA CGM. 

The 24-year-old Dutch sprinter made the switch from Visma | Lease a Bike to Decathlon CMA CGM for 2026, with the scope of more opportunities at bigger races. In five seasons with the Dutch team at WorldTour level, Kooij scored 47 victories, including three stages of the Giro d'Italia, three at Paris-Nice and seven at the Tour of Britain.

Kooij's Decathlon debut was delayed due to illness, with the Dutchman having to wait until the end of May to make his debut with the team.

After finishing 54th in the opening prologue in Laval, Kooij delivered at the first time of asking, sprinting to victory on stage 1 in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne ahead of Alessio Maganotti (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies) and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies).

“Sometimes you just have to believe in it. I have to thank my team. My teammates believed that I could achieve a good result here. They did a great job. For me, it is wonderful to come back like this after all those months," said Kooij at the finish via Wielerflits.

Julius Johansen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) leads the GC after winning the prologue, marking his second professional victory just a month after his first in O Gran Camiño. Tour de Hongrie winner Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) is just a second behind second, while Kooij's Australian teammate Oscar Chamberlain (Decathlon CMA CGM) sits third at six seconds.

Kooij isn't the only rider who made the switch from Visma to Decathlon who has had their season start delayed. Tiesj Benoot suffered back pains in his winter preparations, with tests confirming a hernia which required surgery. 

Reports have indicated that there is cautious optimism that Benoot, who has been on an altitude training camp with his Decathlon teammates in Sierra Nevada, could make his debut at the Tour de Suisse on June 17.