Olav Kooij eyes Giro d’Italia alongside Wout van Aert despite collarbone fracture at Gent Wevelgem

Olav Kooij is on track to return to racing at next month’s Giro d’Italia, despite suffering a fractured collarbone at Gent-Wevelgem earlier this April. The 23-year-old Dutch sprinter remains on Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s list for the Grand Tour, which begins on May 9th.

Kooij had enjoyed a promising start to his 2025 season prior to the crash. He claimed victories at the Tour of Oman, finished second at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and secured a classy stage win at Tirreno-Adriatico. His eighth-place finish at Milano-Sanremo further underlined his development into one of the peloton’s most consistent fast finishers.

His spring campaign, however, was derailed at Gent Wevelgem. Kooij crashed at a crucial point in the race, just as Mads Pedersen launched the decisive attack on the Plugstreets, Kooij responded and was right on the Dane’s wheel. But shortly after, he misjudged a corner and hit the ground, ruling Visma’s top sprinter out of contention as the race-winning move formed.

Despite the setback, Kooij remains part of Visma’s Giro plans. He will be joined by Wout van Aert, who is still searching for his first victory of the 2025 season. The Giro holds special significance for Kooij, who took a stage win at the 2024 edition, one of the few highlights in what was otherwise a difficult race for the team.