Heinrich Haussler | Decathlon’s international evolution
From Stanley St. Social | cycling conversations by Alex Clements
May 12, 2026 · 41 min
About this episode
Heinrich Haussler discusses the preparations and challenges faced by Decathlon's team for the 2026 Giro d’Italia.
Heinrich Haussler is a Sports Director at Decathlon). We chat as the team prepares for the 2026 Giro d’Italia starting in Bulgaria. Haussler dives into the logistical challenges of the early Bulgarian stages and the transfer to Italy, the role of a DS handling logistics, hotels, vehicles, and performance, plus how the team has stayed injury-free heading into the Grand Tour.  He breaks down Decathlon’s impressive 2026 classics campaign, the rapid rise of Tobias “Toby” Lund Andresen, the incredible maturity and potential of 19-year-old sensation Paul Seixas (already turning heads with podiums and massive watts), Felix Gall’s ambitions, and building a strong team culture with Luke Rowe and others.  Topics include: • Evolution of cobbled classics (nutrition, tubeless tyres, training, and why races are faster and harder) • Creating a “Cervelo Test Team” style selfless atmosphere • Differences between Red Bull and Decathlon environments • Australian cycling • Haussler’s hot takes on riders to watch, his favourite races, and bold Giro predictions for Toby and Felix
People in this episode
Host: Alex Clements
Guest: Heinrich Haussler
Topics covered
- logistical challenges in cycling
- team culture in sports
- cobbled classics evolution
- performance management
- injury prevention in cycling
Keywords
- Heinrich Haussler
- Decathlon
- Giro d’Italia
- cobbled classics
- team culture
- cycling logistics
- injury prevention
- Tobias Lund Andresen
- Paul Seixas
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Decathlon
Places: Bulgaria, Italy
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