"We had some trouble finding each other" - Olav Kooij + Wout van Aert sprint partnership doesn't pay off for Visma on stage 4 of 2025 Giro d'Italia

In a bit of an upset, Team Picnic PostNL's Casper van Uden powered to the sprint win on stage 4 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Although finishing incredibly strongly, the best that Team Visma | Lease a Bike sprinter Olav Kooij could manage was 2nd behind his compatriot.

Kooij, who could call upon Wout van Aert as a superstar leadout, detailed in his post-stage interview with Cycling Pro Net, how he and his teammates lost each other in the chaotic and at times dangerous finishing circuit in Lecce. "It was quite technical, which we knew. I think we had some trouble finding each other on the lap, I would say," Kooij admits honestly. "But I managed to surf the wheels, and then we got together — me and the guys — in the last lap. Edo (Edoardo Affini ed.) brought me to the front really well."

Because of all the chaos though, Kooij and his Team Visma | Lease a Bike teammates were still a lot bit out of position as the final sprint for the line began in earnest. "We maybe missed one guy, but in the end, it was a bit strange," he concludes. "The speed dropped a bit before the final, after the last real corner, let’s say. I got swamped a bit and didn’t directly find a gap to do my sprint. And when I could, it was already too late."