‘I put everything into preparation’ - Mühlberger blindsided by Decathlon CMA CGM Tour de France omission
Gregor Mühlberger will not start the 2026 Tour de France after being left out of Decathlon CMA CGM’s selection. The Austrian climber revealed on Instagram on Saturday that he had not made the team’s squad of eight riders, potentially opening the door for Olav Kooij to take his place. Decathlon CMA CGM’s final Tour line up has not yet been confirmed.
Make us your Google favourite
The 32-year-old finished 15th overall at the 2026 Giro d’Italia in May, having worked for Felix Gall, who took second in the general classification behind Jonas Vingegaard.
Mühlberger then skipped both the Tour de Suisse and the Austrian Road Championships on 28 June, choosing instead to complete an altitude training block at Les Arcs 1950 with the rest of Decathlon CMA CGM’s prospective Tour squad.
His omission therefore came as a major surprise.
“After the Giro d’Italia, we built everything around this moment. I skipped the Tour de Suisse and Nationals. Instead, I put everything into the preparation at the team altitude camp in France. Full focus, full discipline, no shortcuts and everything was going to plan,” Mühlberger wrote on Instagram.
The Austrian said he had received no warning that he would be left out.
“Which makes this even harder to accept: sometimes sport gives you no warning and no chance to show what you prepared for. I won’t be on the start line in Barcelona, only watching and cheering for my teammates from home. It’s devastating, but that’s sport.”
Kooij is now the favourite to take the available place in the squad. The Dutch sprinter won stage four of the Baloise Belgium Tour in Aarschot last week and had been the team’s other major selection question, alongside the climbing support required for Paul Seixas’s Tour de France debut.
With Mühlberger out, Decathlon CMA CGM appear to be reshaping the team away from a deep mountain unit and towards a squad that also gives Kooij opportunities in the sprints.
Cyclism’Actu has reported that the decision may also be linked to Mühlberger’s transfer situation. Both Mühlberger and Gall are reportedly set to leave the team at the end of 2026 for Lidl-Trek, which could have played a role in the selection decision.
Live the Tour with Factor
Founded by former pro and carbon-engineering pioneer, Rob Gitelis, Factor’s core is defined by a spirit of invention and risk-taking to push the limits of what a performance bicycle can be. But the goal is more than just performance. Our bikes are a catalyst for experience, emotion, and discovery. They are freedom made physical.
