Tom Dumoulin has a clear advice for young compatriot: "Olav Kooij should grab that offer from AG2R with both hands"
Cycling
Olav Kooij is one of, if not the biggest name out on the transfer market this winter and clearly the interest in the 23-year-old sprinter was enormous. Eventually, it seems that the Dutchman is most likely heading to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to write a new chapter in his career. According to Tom Dumoulin, it should be a no-brainer to jump after their generous offer.
"Yes," Dumoulin answered clearly at in the podcast De Grote Plaat about whether his compatriot Olav Kooij should seek fortune in another team. "Olav Kooij should of course grab that offer from AG2R with both hands," he has a clear opinion on the young sprinter's new home.
"Visma | Lease a Bike is a fantastic team and he is actually doing really well there, but Olav has simply outgrown the team. Not in the sense of: that team is no longer good enough for him. But he simply cannot take that next step. And that next step for him is to go to the Tour de France and win stages there. He is capable of that and it is high time for that."
"He now has to start in the Giro and that is a Giro with the least number of sprint stages in the history of the Giro. And he also has a poor preparation because of his crash in the spring. That is a shame. One of the best sprinters of the moment cannot show what he has in him. He belongs in the Tour," Dumoulin said.
On the other hand, Dumoulin can also see the perspective of Visma | Lease a Bike who aim to fight for overall victory with Jonas Vingegaard. Then there's simply no room for compromises. "I completely understand that they can't offer him that at the moment. Then it's up to Olav to take the brave step and seek his fortune elsewhere."
Could the rising star of Matthew Brennan become a decisive factor in Kooij's departure? "No, I wouldn't be afraid of that as Olav. If you don't have the confidence as a young sprinter that you can't beat an even younger sprinter... No, Olav has already proven that he can compete with the top sprinters, Brennan still has to prove that."
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments