Olav Kooij spent the whole of his professional career at Visma | Lease a Bike, but now that his contract is running out, the Dutch sprinter finds himself at crossroads. He can stay in the team where he grew up and where he may never receive full support.. or move on to a team that will value a top sprinter he has become.
Sports director Grischa Niermann, who has been in charge of contract negotiations since the departure of Merijn Zeeman, does not want to hear anything about the sprinter leaving. "No, because we are still in talks with him and his agents. That can go both ways. Of course we are negotiating with Olav about a contract extension, but also about his sporting ambitions and possibilities," he says at WielerFlits.
Key to Kooij's renewal will be whether the team can comply with supporting his ambitions in biggest races. "It is clear that he wants to go to the Tour de France," Niermann says. "We have to see if that fits into our schedule for the coming years. We are talking about that. We will see what comes of it."
There is no deadline, the German says when asked. "But at a certain point you have to move on. That also applies to Olav. We still have some time. Officially, the deadline is August 1. Let's wait and see."
Another possible factor in the decision to continue with Kooij is the rapid growth of super prospect Matthew Brennan. The 19-year-old Briton won four times this just this month, including a stunning upset in first stage of WorldTour race Volta a Catalunya.
"The best scenario for our team is that you have five or six riders who win ten times a year,” Niermann laughs. Obviously, two top sprinters are better than one. "That is also what we are going for, what we strive for. But you also have to have a balance in your team, also a balance in terms of opportunities. We have our ideas about that and we make decisions based on that. And sometimes you have to accept that riders see it differently.”
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
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