Decathlon CMA CGM aims to prove it can score this spring without Tiesj Benoot and Olav Kooij

Decathlon CMA CGM is playing top-level cards. Although they are missing their king and jack this spring, they did not come up short in the Opening Weekend. They didn’t secure any victories, but the French squad certainly made their mark. Tobias Lund Andresen finished sixth and seventh in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, respectively. “We all want to prove that we are a strong team even without Tiesj Benoot and Olav Kooij,” Daan Hoole tells our camera.

The towering Dutchman joined this winter from Lidl-Trek and looks back positively on the first races of the season. In any case, Decathlon CMA CGM has started the 2026 cycling year strongly across the board. “There is a great atmosphere,” Hoole says. “Of course, we miss Tiesj and Olav, which is really unfortunate. But we all want to prove we can still be a good team and race for results without them. It’s a pity that we didn’t get a top result in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, because I think we deserved that. That’s what it’s all about.”

After his strong start to the season in Australia, Lund Andresen was moved into the classics squad to cover the loss of Benoot and Kooij. “That’s just the situation we’re in,” says the Dutchman. “We’re trying to make the best of it. Of course, it’s disappointing, especially since I came over together with Olav. But the sprints with Cees Bol in the UAE Tour also went well, so I don’t consider it a wasted race. We are showing that we have a strong team across the board and that we raced a super good race in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.”

Because of missing Benoot and Kooij, Hoole’s own role has also changed. Earlier, in an in-depth interview with WielerFlits, he already mentioned that he will have slightly more opportunities for himself this spring, especially in the GP de Denain and Paris-Roubaix. “Even in Kuurne I had a freer role. That’s really great! I made good progress last winter. In the UAE Tour it already went well, also uphill. Now, on the hills, I almost always keep up. Only on the last climb, when Dylan van Baarle attacked, I couldn’t follow. But then the team closed it down well afterwards.”