Mühlberger Snub, Seixas Crash, Kooij Wait: Inside Decathlon's 2026 Tour de France Selection

One week before the 2026 Tour de France Grand Départ in Barcelona, the Decathlon CMA CGM team faces a chaotic final selection process. Key mountain domestique Gregor Mühlberger has been shockingly dropped, the official eight-rider roster is delayed by illness, and GC leader Paul Seixas is recovering from a high-speed crash. This article provides a full fact-checked breakdown of all the key questions.

Why Was Gregor Mühlberger Dropped?

Mühlberger announced on his own social media channels that he would not be on the start line. He said he was "devastated" and that the team leadership's decision came as a surprise . This came after he had been a key mountain domestique for Felix Gall at the Giro d'Italia and was expected to serve the same role for Paul Seixas in the mountains . Multiple sources describe the exclusion as a "surprise snub" or "hard blow" with no public explanation from team management on the tactical or contractual reasoning for the change .

Mühlberger joined Decathlon CMA CGM from Movistar for the 2026 season and had been heavily featured in the team's mountain support plans earlier in the year .

What Is the Status of the Final Eight-Rider Roster?

The team postponed a planned press conference in late June, and as of June 28, the eight-rider squad has not been officially unveiled . The only confirmed starter is Paul Seixas, who is the designated GC leader . The remaining seven spots are subject to fitness checks and internal competition, with riders in contention including mountain domestiques, rouleurs, and possibly a sprinter .

What Is Paul Seixas's Injury Status?

Seixas crashed hard on stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 14) during a high-speed descent, suffering abrasions to his knees, elbows, and torso but no fractures . He abandoned the final stage of that race, but the team's medical staff has since cleared him. Team management told L'Equipe that "there is no reason to worry" about his Tour de France participation and stated his "fitness is not in doubt" . Seixas was spotted training in the high Alps still visibly bandaged, but he was building altitude form and reported good recovery . He will not ride the French National Championships and will travel directly to Barcelona for the start .

What Is Daan Hoole's Illness Situation?

Hoole, a key Dutch rouleur and time-trial specialist, was among the riders who became ill shortly before the team was due to announce its Tour selection . According to reports from L'Equipe, multiple Decathlon riders were sick, and Hoole's illness was a specific factor in the decision to delay the official squad announcement . As of June 25, his fitness status for the Grand Départ was still uncertain . More recent sources (June 27) still list the roster as unconfirmed, suggesting Hoole's availability remains a live question.

Will Olav Kooij Be Included?

Status: under active consideration, but not yet selected.

Mühlberger's exclusion opens a spot, and several French media outlets (Le Progrès, Le Dauphiné) have reported that Kooij could now get a ticket . Kooij joined Decathlon CMA CGM for 2026 as a headline sprint signing with the long-term goal of winning the green jersey, but his first half of the season was disrupted by a virus that delayed his race debut . Early reports in June suggested he was likely to miss the Tour, but the Mühlberger omission has changed the calculus .

The key tension: Kooij would need dedicated lead-out support (e.g., Cees Bol, Tobias Lund Andresen), which conflicts with a pure mountain-GC roster built around Seixas. Cycling News reports an internal debate over whether a sprinter fits the Seixas-focused tactical plan for the first week .

Bottom line: Kooij's inclusion is a live possibility but not confirmed. The final call depends on management's assessment of Seixas's mountain support depth versus the chance to compete for stages and the green jersey.