![\"Tiesj](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/benoot-685804a0d3c02.jpg@webp.webp\")
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“We have 30 riders in the team, and in a career of 10 to 15 years, everyone has their share of bad luck, but it is indeed a lot all at once. The riders we expected most from in the spring are out. Our schedule has already been shifted quite a bit. Those guys need to be replaced, and that changes a lot, but for me personally, not really.”<\/p>\n
Spring without Tiesj<\/p>\n
However the loss of Tiesj Benoot with view to the whole spring campaign is by far the hardest blow as the Belgian was Decathlon’s best shot at a podium result on the cobbles, and perhaps even a victory. But instead, he had to undergo a surgery to treat a hernia.<\/p>\n
“In December, Tiesj was already experiencing a lot of difficulty sitting and walking during his training camp, but not while cycling,” Naesen explains. “We thought it might be a torn muscle from running, because that’s what he enjoys doing. But with rest in January, it only got worse. After several scans, it turned out to be a hernia.”<\/p>\n
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Tiesj Benoot on the podium in 2025<\/p>\n
“Tiesj is handling it very well, but it’s undoubtedly a dark period. He’s new to the team and comes with a new role and a lot of expectations. Missing the spring is very frustrating.”<\/p>\n
While Benoot’s absence allows Naesen to move up in the pecking order of Decathlon, he was very much looking forward to working for a leader with winning ambitions, something the French team lacked in recent seasons: “I wanted to be there with Tiesj in the tougher classics. Last year, that pressure was on my shoulders, but I’m noticing that it’s getting harder to get a result. Now I have to help save the day. We’ll see what that brings.”<\/p>\n