Visma sign former Olympic British champion to aid Brennan and Van Aert - "I’m still getting stronger, even after nine years in the WorldTour"

Team Visma | Lease a Bike have announced an unexpected transfer this Tuesday morning but one with a very clear aim. As Olav Kooj departs the team and Matthew Brennan gains the status of head sprinter in the team, Visma has brought in a compatriot in Owain Doull to guide him through the sprints for the upcoming two seasons.

“With his experience at the highest level, he will absolutely strengthen our team,” team DS Grischa Niermann said in a press release. “Owain showed last year that he can still be competitive in the spring classics. We also expect that he can continue to improve physically within our team. But his most important role will be to guide our young talents in the classics and sprints.”

The 32-year told turned pro in 2014 and for a few years rode in the Irish and British continental scene, before jumping to World Tour level with Team Sky in 2017. He rode there all the way until 2022 until he joined EF Education-EasyPost where he the ambitions of having a bigger role within the team, and has spent four seasons until this winter.

Doull is a rouleur, an experienced World Tour rider with five Grand Tours and 17 monuments under his belt as he has been a key part of both INEOS' and EF's cobbled classics block. Whilst not a proven winner himself, he is a capable domestique who is also a specialist in the field of leadouts, also carrying with him a lot of experience from the track where in 2016 he became Olympic Champion in team pursuit. He has two pro wins, the latter of which at the 2020 Tour de la Provence, but was also second at the 2019 Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne where he won the bunch sprint behind Bob Jungels.

Doull's main role will be to aid youngster Matthew Brennan through the sprints, as the team also looks to lock in the Briton and provide him with the best support possible. “I’m very excited about the opportunity I’m getting here with one of the best teams in the world. I’m already highly motivated when I think about next season," he adds.

"I’m looking forward to supporting Matthew Brennan in the flat sprints, playing a role in his lead-out and in the classics. At the same time, I also want to discover how much room for growth I still have myself. Physically, I’m still getting stronger, even after nine years in the WorldTour. Last season was my best so far, and I expect that I can take another step forward with this team," he concluded.