"I feel very comfortable here" - Olav Kooij turned down Tour de France promises to re-sign with Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Cycling
One of the most promising sprinters in the peloton today, Olav Kooij's Team Visma | Lease a Bike future looked in doubt at the back end of last year but despite interest from elsewhere, the Dutch prodigy re-signed with the team.
"It was the first time for me that I was at the end of my contract. There was a lot of interest due to the performances of recent years, but in the end the team came up with a great plan. With sporting goals that I could identify with," Kooij details of the discussions in conversation with In de Leiderstrui.
Given Team Visma | Lease a Bike's strong focus in the general classification of Grand Tours over the past couple of years, many of the rival teams came to Kooij with promises of Tour de France a debut to try and sway him in their favour. "But here I am with the best team in terms of team and performance.," Kooij answered assuredly however.
And in 2024, the Giro d'Italia is on his calendar for the first three-week stage of his career. "I feel very comfortable here and when my Grand Tour debut came up, the choice was no longer difficult," Kooij says. "Every rider on the team participates in the performance and benefits from it. Riders outside the Grand Tours also develop to the highest possible level in this way. That also counts for me. Of course I don't do the same training as Gesink and Kruijswijk, I have my own approach. But the vision is broadly the same."
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