Visma say goodbye to one of its best riders ever - "His rise from the Development Team to the WorldTour is something we will always share"

Team Visma | Lease a Bike are saying goodbye to Olav Kooij, the team's head sprinter. The 24-year old has been a pro with the team since February 2021 and has net 47 pro wins, but the absence from the Tour de France and lack of full leadership was a factor that led him to want to leave the project. The Dutch team has shared an appreciation post regarding one of its best riders of the decade.

"Olav came to the team in 2020 at just 18 years after two successful years as a junior, and he started off like a rocket. In his first four races, his worst result was a second place, and he took home three victories," Visma wrote in a press release. Kooij was incredibly impressive at first and net a pro contract after a year and two months in the development ranks.

Very quickly he began to impress not only with his sprinting ability but also his ability to go over short explosive climbs. Several times throughout his career he has put on strong performances outside of the sprints, such as the 2023 European Championships finishing on the VAM-berg where he joined his trade teammates Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert on the podium.

With the team going all-in to the overall win at the Tour de France - when providing opportunities in the sprints, it would be to Wout van Aert - Kooij never had space to be part of it. Nevertheless he built over a short period of time an enviable palmarès consisting of three stage wins at the Giro d'Italia (in two presences); five at the Tour de Pologne; three at Paris-Nice; seven at the Tour of Britain (over two presences) and victories in one-day races such as the Cyclassics Hamburg, Sparkassen Münsterland Giro and Clasica de Almeria.

"Olav’s schedule almost exclusively included WorldTour races in 2024, meaning the competition would always be formidable, but that didn’t stop him from winning. Finally, the stage win in the UAE Tour arrived, and he added a further two in Paris-Nice in March. In May, Olav made his Grand Tour debut in the Giro d’Italia, and in Napoli on stage nine, his very first Grand Tour stage win was a reality after an incredible sprint against Jonathan Milan".

He moves on to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in a three-year deal, reportedly with a salary of €3 million, with a brand new leadout consisting of several other high-level signings, with the Tour de France likely on his schedule. "From next year on, he will join Decathlon–CMA CGM Team, and we wish Olav all the best for the future. His rise from the Development Team to the WorldTour is something we will always share."