Olav Kooij calls Decathlon change ‘refreshing’ after difficult spring and Tour de France breakthrough

Kooij arrived from Visma | Lease a Bike at the start of 2026 with the Tour among the biggest reasons for making the move. His opening months did not go to plan, however, and the Dutch sprinter missed much of the spring before finally returning to racing at the end of May.

Speaking to reporters, including Domestique, ahead of the Tour of Britain, Kooij admitted it had been a difficult introduction to the season.

“Like you say, it was not an easy start,” Kooij said. “I missed out on the spring and some big races there. But then the comeback was really good. Immediately I got a win and that gave me some confidence going into the Tour, where I also won a stage.”

That comeback could hardly have started better. Kooij won immediately on his return at the Boucles de la Mayenne, added another stage victory there and then carried that momentum into the Baloise Belgium Tour.

The biggest result followed in July.

Making his Tour de France debut, Kooij won stage 5 in Pau at the first genuine sprint opportunity of the race, beating Max Kanter and Tim Merlier to claim the biggest victory of his career to date.

It also provided an early return on a move that had required Kooij to adjust after several years within the Visma structure. He joined Decathlon CMA CGM for 2026 on a three year deal, entering a new environment with a different coach, staff and group of riders around him.

Kooij said that process had taken some time, but he has enjoyed adapting to a different way of working.

“Of course it’s something that takes some time, a new environment, a lot of new people,” he said. “But I’ve been really happy with working with my new coach and some new people, some new riders as well. I’m really enjoying it.”

The changes have not involved a complete overhaul of his training. Instead, Kooij pointed to smaller differences in approach after spending several seasons working within the same system.

“I think in the end still a lot of things are the same, but just some small differences,” he said. “It’s also quite refreshing, just changing a bit the way you used to work for a few years.”

With Giro d’Italia stage victories already on his palmarès and now a Tour win alongside them, Kooij has ticked off another major objective at only 24. He is not yet ready, however, to put a target on what comes next.

Asked whether his success this season had already changed his ambitions for 2027, Kooij said those discussions would have to wait until the winter.

“It’s hard to say now,” he said. “When the season is finished, then it’s time to look back and also look forward to next season. We will discuss that this winter.”

Before then, there are still opportunities to add to his season at the Tour of Britain, a race Kooij knows particularly well.

He won three stages and the points classification in the 2025 edition and has seven career stage victories in the race. This year’s Tour of Britain is one day shorter, with five stages between Lincoln and the Scottish Borders.

Kooij starts the Tour of Britain with seven wins this season, leaving him three short of double figures. Asked whether he could reach ten before the end of the race, he was reluctant to make any predictions.

“I’m not sure,” he laughed. “I think the Tour is getting shorter and shorter every year, so that also means less opportunities to win. But we will try our best and hopefully I can get another stage win.”