"I wasn't where I should have been" - Olav Kooij rues poor positioning after narrowly missing out on European Championship victory

After bronze at the 2023 European Championship road race, Olav Kooij improved to silver in Limburg in 2024. Gold was what the Dutchman wanted though, and as such, 2nd place is something difficult to get overly excited about.

"I'm still coming up well, but that's also sprinting. I wasn't where I should have been when the sprint started," the 22-year-old, who plies his trade with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, admits disappointedly in his post-race interview with NOS, after narrowly losing out to Tim Merlier in the sprint finale. "I could still make up a lot, but the finish line came just too early."

Kooij is keen not to make excuses though, only blaming himself for the poor positioning and ultimate disappointment. “It’s not bad luck, because you partly have this in your own hands,” he explains honestly. “We rode a good race as a team, especially in the middle section. We were always in the mix, even in the last breakaway. In the end, everyone was tired, although that was also good for me. I was able to keep calm and felt good. That makes it all the more of a shame that it didn’t work out.”

Throughout the day, Kooij's teammate, Mathieu van der Poel was on the attack. According to Kooij, this was a planned move within the Dutch team. “Certainly, otherwise you have to ride behind them and that also costs strength," he concludes. "Belgium and Italy also sacrifice riders with that. With our fighting style you could play the game well.”

Results | 2024 European Championship Men's Elite Road Race: