Olav Kooij ready to test himself in Giro’s first true sprint finish: “Top five in the final corner for sure”

Stage 4 of the 2025 Giro d’Italia is expected to offer the first genuine bunch sprint of the race, and Olav Kooij will be among the key contenders. The Dutch sprinter from Team Visma | Lease a Bike is eyeing a big result, but knows competition will be fierce, with in-form riders like Mads Pedersen and Kaden Groves also targeting the win.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net before the stage, Kooij acknowledged the unpredictability of a first sprint day in a Grand Tour. “Yeah, I think first bunch sprints is always a bit more open. I think quite some sprinters with goals here and yeah after today [we’ll] also know a bit more about the rest of the competition. But yeah, we of course focus mostly on ourselves.”

The early stages of this year’s Giro have been mixed in profile, with climbs and technical terrain limiting pure sprint opportunities. Kooij admitted it’s been difficult to get a full read on his rivals. “Yeah, I think so. It’s quite hard to, or it’s different than the sprint of today and the speed you need for a sprint like today.”

Fortunately, Kooij will have strong support from his Visma teammates, including Wout van Aert, “Yeah, I think we have a good team also. Yeah, with the rest of the guys I think we're really strong. So hopefully we can do a good sprint preparation.”

Opportunities for sprinters are limited in this year’s route, and Kooij knows he needs to capitalise when they come, “No, I think they’re also quite spread out. So yeah, you know it when you see the course and yeah we try to give it our best shot on those days we have a chance.”

As for the finale of today’s stage, positioning will be everything. “Yeah, I think you want to be on those local laps. It’s always in a city, it’s always quite fast. So it’s a case of being in a good position, not spending too much energy and then entering that final 500 metres in good position and then getting to launch the sprint.”

Asked what “good position” means in a finale like today’s, Kooij was clear: “Top five for sure, I think.”