Visma admit they "cannot say that Olav Kooij will definitely stay with our team" as Tour de France dream grows for sprint sensation

Olav Kooij has emerged as one of the peloton's leading sprinters over the last couple of seasons. On his Grand Tour debut at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the Dutchman immediately added a Grand Tour stage win to his palmares too, proving his pedigree. As the dream of a Tour de France appearance grows though, could Kooij be forced to leave Team Visma | Lease a Bike?

Given Visma's very prominent focus on the general classification at the Tour de France over recent years, the chances are slim that Kooij could force selection for the sport's most watched race. As Grischa Niermann, Head of Racing at Team Visma | Lease a Bike explains though, it's not completely out of the question. "It is not impossible to send Kooij and Jonas Vingegaard to the Tour together one day," Niermann admits to Sporza, although he does see difficulties. "Olav is of course a sprinter. On the penultimate climb he will no longer be doing any work at the front of the peloton. Then the media will say that we made a mistake by taking a sprinter to the Tour."

Because of Kooij desire to race the Tour de France though, as mentioned, the prospects of a split between the Dutch sprinter and the Visma team are growing. "I cannot say at the moment that Olav will definitely stay with our team 100%," Niermann says honestly. "It is about opportunities and money, we will discuss that during the season."

Returning to the Giro d'Italia this year though, Kooij has definitely been backed by Visma, with Wout van Aert set to be his superstar leadout man. "That was also the initial goal last year: riding the Giro together with Wout. But for the well-known reason (Van Aert crashing at Dwars door Vlaanderen) that didn't happen then", recalls Kooij. "The sprint stages that are a bit more difficult are for Wout. The flatter sprinter finishes are my thing. Deep into the final of those stages, Wout has a lot more surplus than any other rider, which makes him the ideal lead-out."

It's not just in the Grand Tours where Kooij is dreaming either. "I have never ridden most of the hills in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in a race. But I have already reconnoitered a few this winter. In Kuurne, it is usually a game between the peloton and the attackers. We are strong enough in breadth to be well represented on both fronts," he reveals. "The Kemmelberg is always a painful and crucial moment in the race. But I always had a good experience there in the 2 times that I rode Gent-Wevelgem. If it were to come together after the Kemmelberg and there would be a sprint for the win, I hope to be there."

Even the monuments are in Kooij's focus for the coming years. "There is always hope for the sprinters at Milano-Sanremo. But the race is getting harder and harder on the Cipressa. I will go for it and see where that takes me," he concludes.