Olav Kooij on Wout van Aert, Giro d'Italia debut and leadout - "We want to execute this plan to perfection"

Olav Kooij is getting his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia finally, after several years of climbing up the ranks in the sprinter field. He will team up with Wout van Aert as a his leadout man, and with Cian Uijtdebroeks to make for a team with freedom to chase wins all round.

"I am looking forward to it. It will be a real challenge for me. I feel ready for it, and I am happy to ride the Giro for the team," Kooij said in a press release. "I have had great results in the past few years, and I hope to repeat or even improve on them. It would be nice to win a stage in a grand tour. We have rarely raced together, but the times we have, it has gone very well. I think we have a good feeling for each other, and it is a luxury for me to have him with us. After the spring classics, we will see who is ready for which stage. We will discuss what the course looks like and what our best plan is.”

Kooij is a rider that has already proven himself as a quality classics rider, being able to tackle climbs and cobbles quite well - although he's not had much opportunity with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. However, he will have a few specific goals this spring where he's hoping to test himself against the very best. "It's nice to do enough sprints before the Giro. I am also curious to see how far I can go in Milano-Sanremo and Ghent-Wevelgem. These types of races should suit me. Who knows, maybe I can fight for prizes. In any case, our classic core is very strong across the board.”

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In this press release we also learn two more riders who will be present at the Giro, as the team dedicates it's prime powerhouse rouleur Edoardo Affini to assist in the sprint stages, with Jan Tratnik also lining up. "With Edoardo Affini and Jan Tratnik, we have riders who know exactly how to do a lead-out. I can also learn a lot from their experience in the grand tours.”

Whilst the team goes all in for the yellow jersey in July, where they will face a very strong UAE Team Emirates, the riders in May will have more freedom and will go in without a set block of domestiques. A large contingent of quality riders makes it a logical strategy for a team that wants to keep it's riders happy.

"Olav, Wout and Cian [Uijtdebroeks] will get their chance in the Giro. We can cause a lot of excitement in Italy with this team," team DS Merijn Zeeman added. "Not going for the GC is a different approach from last year and requires a different way of racing. But of course, we want to execute this plan to perfection.”