The sports goods store Decathlon is famous for offering sports equipment at affordable prices. Although the overall quality is often considered lower than leading and more expensive brands, the AG2R team has chosen to use Decathlon bicycles in the upcoming season.
During the team presentation, there were surprised reactions when it was announced that the team would be swapping their BMC bicycles for Decathlon’s Van Rysel bikes.
Oliver Naesen served as the “poster boy” for the brand.
“It is logical that people are a bit upset,” said newcomer Sander De Pestel to the Belgian channel Sporza. “Decathlon does not really have the reputation for having bikes for professional cyclists.” But De Pestel was soon convinced by a future teammate.
“Oliver Naesen was the first to send me a message about the bike: ‘You will be surprised, my friend,’ he wrote. ‘You won’t know where you’re putting your butt.’
“They bought bikes from different brands and compared them to see the pros and cons of each,” explains De Pestel. “They have been working on this for 3 years.”
Contact with the bicycle occurred during the contract renewal.
Oliver Naesen was one of the guinea pigs along with Stan Dewulf. “During the negotiations of my contract, I was fortunate to test the bike last season. I was amazed, as were the other cyclists who tested it,” said the former Belgian champion.
What makes the Decathlon racing bike so incredible? “Compared to the BMC bike (the bike AG2R used in previous years), the Van Rysel bike is much lighter and more responsive. To be honest, you don’t have to struggle to make the bike accelerate. It’s really very fast,” Naesen concludes with enthusiasm.