Resting your hopes on two debutants at the most important race of the year could be viewed as mad. But it's exactly what Decathlon CMA CGM are doing at this Tour de France. When the climbs begin properly on stage six, French teen sensation Paul Seixas is ready to soar as high as possible in the general classification, while the team's first competitive sprinter in decades, Olav Kooij, has been tasked with bringing home frequent victories when the roads are flat.
Does that bring unbearable pressure for both riders?
After dominating the stage five sprint, the evidence suggests not.
"I think it brings a nice dynamic in the team," explained Kooij. "I think having something to race for every day is really good for the whole team, and gives us a lot of morale and energy."
The irony is that Kooij, who has been one of the best sprinters for a number of seasons now, was always left out of his previous employer's Tour roster. In its recent history, Visma-Lease a Bike have balanced the ambitions of Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Wout van Aert — cycling heavyweights who left little room for Kooij to muscle his way into the team for La Grande Boucle. Visma have been a superteam in cycling for over half a decade, but achievements are what Decathlon are aiming towards.
According to Kooij, being part of a general classification team can also help a sprinter: "It's something I was used to at Visma. On a day like this, where we want to keep Paul [Seixas] at the front, I can benefit from that as well."
Both leaders might be shouldering the weight of expectation from their team — and for the case of Seixas, an entire nation — but they started the race with cause for lowered estimations: Seixas crashed at the final build-up race, the Tour d'Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Kooij was ill during his first few months with his new team after leaving Visma over the winter.
"From January on, I was feeling super tired and I was sick for a long period. For the first two months of the year, I was not riding a bike, and for sure, in those moments I had no idea how long it would take. That, of course, makes you question when to come back. We made a lot of plans and a lot of times we had to adjust them to even start training and racing later. Step by step, I got more confidence that I would get ready for the Tour."
"We were mostly managing my energy levels rather than focusing on the training I would normally do. If we had the normal planning, I would do an altitude camp, like 98% of the bunch, but I didn't do one this year, because of the late build-up."
You wouldn't get a hint of that Tour build-up stress when interacting with Kooij. The Dutchman spoke to Rouleur on stage four and he was remarkably calm.
"It's quite nice to settle into a rhythm. The chances are coming, but we just wait a couple of days."
Less than 36 hours later and the wait was over — he is a Tour de France stage winner. Perhaps earlier than expected. He is a sprinter who can perform well deep into a Grand Tour.
"In the Giro, I never won early in the race. The fatigue that builds in a Grand Tour plays a role in these sprints."
In contrast to his calm demeanour, Kooij operates in a high-octane environment. Waiting for the fifth stage of a Grand Tour before the first sprint opportunity would drive some fast men up the wall. But not Kooij.
"It was quite nice to get into my first Tour like this, having a few days to settle in," he said after his maiden Tour win. "Also because it's the first time I am racing with some of the teammates we are here with. So we got to do a couple of days to get used to racing together, which we could use today, which is especially necessary in a hectic final."
From the outside, the pairing of Kooij and Seixas is a perfect match. Both are as tranquil as they come. They have already achieved what many teams try and fail — combining the goals of a sprinter and a general classification rider. Next up it's Seixas' turn. The Tourmalet awaits.
