Olav Kooij: "You can't be a sprinter without 100% the drive to win"

Being a sprinter is as much about the pure power as it is with the bike technique and mentality. Jumbo-Visma sprinter Olav Kooij has discussed the mental part in a recent interview, in which he shows a side that is untraditional with the sprinters.

“You can be a professional cyclist without a 100% winning mentality," the Dutchman said in an interview with RIDE Magazine. "But you can't be a sprinter without 100% the drive to win. Only you don't necessarily have to be a certain type of person. You have to see people and riders separately." Kooij is one of the best upcoming fast men in the peloton, having won four races/stages this year including one at Paris-Nice and the recent Heistse Pijl.

He does not see himself as the traditional sprinter type, or image, which has often been marked as aggressive riders, often times very emotional such as Mario Cipollini and Mark Cavendish have shown. "In the past, there have been certain figures that have contributed to a certain look of a sprinter. In terms of character, as a sprinter you have to be different from a climber. You have to stand your ground in finals. You can be a soft person as a sprinter, as long as you are hard on the bike.”

Sure enough that has so far proven effective, the 21-year old already has 19 pro victories and has over his seasons as a pro beaten on many occasions some of the best sprinters in the world. He isn't riding any Grand Tour this year however as the Dutch team packs in plenty goals and leaders, and is expected to move towards a different team into 2024.