🇮🇹 #GirodItalia Great effort, Olav. 👊
"I'm pretty happy after yesterday's fall" - Olav Kooij takes 6th in first Grand Tour sprint of his career
CyclingMonday, 06 May 2024 at 18:40
In the first Grand Tour bunch sprint of his career, Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Olav Kooij took a creditable 6th placed finish. Enough for the Dutchman to remain optimistic.
“It was a quiet stage, but then there was that intermediate sprint. Suddenly the whole thing was split in two," the 22-year-old Dutchman reflected post-stage in conversation with Eurosport. “We raced really well there. I didn't talk much with the other sprinters, it was mainly just riding fast. Ultimately, it makes sense that we were caught again.”
After the sprinters' mid-stage attack was quashed by the peloton, Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas then caused more chaos with an attack in the final few kilometres. "For me, it was really continuous rushing and standing still in the closing stages," Kooij recaps of his rude introduction to Grand Tour sprint stages.
"I wanted to start on the left, but there was no gap. Then I went to the right, but then suddenly I lost all my speed," he concludes, with Tim Merlier the man who eventually bagged the stage win. "But okay, I'm pretty happy after that fall yesterday. It wasn't perfect, but I experienced few problems today. Hopefully things will get back to normal in the next few days."
claps 0visitors 212
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- Oh Lordspock12319-12-2024
- Interesting suggestion, fo you think testing Tadej’s (or Bolts’ or so many others’) parents would have given us a preview of his potential then or what criteria do you have to pick parents with?Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- Even amateur teams suffer this sort. But this is also largely due to the precarious sponsorship, in very few sports do you find kit with so many sponsors having to be integrated and changing so regularly.Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- I think it’s pretty obvious what was responsible for destroying interest that used to be there.Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- This has been stated repeatedly, MVDP for CX, road and if it already counts, gravel. Lavreysen for track. I expect as a cycling fan you’ve heard of them?Mistermaumau19-12-2024
- The same thing was said when Tadej announced that he would ride the Giro: "he goes to Il Giro because he knows he can't win the Tour". Always negative speculations. Maybe Primoz, near to the final of his career, simply wants to try this experience.
maria2024202419-12-2024 - If Valentino Rossi could never win during his period of dominance, and massive personality, then Pogacar not winning isn't a massive surprise. Cycling isn't a Premier League global sport......only one event reaches the mainstream every year - and that's not good enough.wipperman9519-12-2024
- I don't think it's only a British thing; the biggest talents aren't usually drawn to CX. Where are all the top Italian, French, Spanish, Slovenian CX riders? Apart from Belgium, and Netherlands, it's not really a target for up and coming cyclists - as there's no career unless you move to Belgium. Other countries can't support a proper professional series, like an international sport should be able to do. Lets not forget, since 2016, British riders have won plenty of World championships; with Pidcock, Richards, Tulett & Backstedt all winning more than one..... And, there was a time when Belgium didn't rule the roost in CX; that was Switzerland, but since the advent of XC MTB, their top off-road talents race there instead of CX - and the 2nd raters not good enough for XC MTB, race CX.wipperman9519-12-2024
- "25-34 are only 13% of USA Cyclings membership" Wow. I own a bike shop, and that number comports both with what I see in the business as well as on the road and trails, but it's somehow hugely demoralizing to see it quantified. Thirteen percent?verve82519-12-2024
- What super dutch talent are we talking about?awp18-12-2024