"Be the best one, is what we are aiming for” - Olav Kooij not content with his place amongst the peloton's sprinters

For Team Visma | Lease a Bike sprinter Olav Kooij, 2024 was another season of positive progression. A first monument start at Milano-Sanremo and a first Grand Tour appearance, with his victory on stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia being one of eight successes added to the Dutchman's palmares this year.

For many though, the 23-year-old is still considered maybe a rung below the likes of Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan in the ranking of the fastest sprinters in the bunch, something Kooij is out to change over the course of the coming season. “I think I can win and I’ve won a few times at WorldTour level this year. On a good day, I can beat maybe everyone," he explains to Rouleur. "If you look at the wins, Philipsen, Merlier and Milan were on the top step more this year, but I was close behind them. We go into every race trying to win, we believe we can win, and I’ve beaten them. To make that next step, to maybe be the best one, is what we are aiming for.”

Kooij is pretty confident he knows how to improve over the coming year, with the extra experience of another season in the peloton set to benefit him too. “Part of getting better is experience, doing those finals every year, making the right decisions in the sprint,” the Visma star says. “Improving physically as well, getting a bit stronger and finding a bit more speed. I also try to improve with gym work and more explosive training. Road cycling isn’t done in the gym, so you have to improve throughout the year so that you get stronger on the endurance side of things and are able to do longer efforts.”

Given the Maillot Jaune and Jonas Vingegaard focus at Team Visma | Lease a Bike around the Tour de France, it's unlikely a debut at the French Grand Tour will come for Kooij in 2025. So, could it be a return to the Giro, or a first appearance at the Vuelta a Espana?

“To be honest, I don’t really look at it like that – I just try to get a nice program, find my goals in that," he previews. “I think Visma is one of the biggest teams, one of the best teams, there is obviously great support here, and I’ve made some nice steps in the last year. I have to keep it going, keep getting bigger wins each year, and try to focus on the chances I have and do the best I can.”