"Wout will be there in the Giro d'Italia, that will make a big difference” – Visma believe Wout van Aert can be the star in Italy

Team Visma | Lease a Bike team manager Maarten Wynants has given his thoughts on Olav Kooij’s performance at Tirreno-Adriatico and the current training block of Wout van Aert. Speaking to In de Leiderstrui, Wynants provided an honest assessment of Kooij’s sprint on stage 2, where he had no real chance against the dominant Jonathan Milan.

Visma | Lease a Bike had high hopes for Kooij going into the stage, but the execution in the final meters didn’t go as planned.

"If you come for the win, then we are not satisfied with fourth place. We knew that it was going to be a very chaotic sprint, with a crucial last corner at 300 meters. Milan rode that perfectly and then you know that he will immediately start. Olav was passed in the corner and came out in fourth, then it is a matter of maintaining position. If you wanted to have a chance in those last 300, you should have been on Milan's wheel."

The importance of positioning in sprints cannot be overstated, and Milan’s level in pure speed meant there was no room for error. Kooij had to expend too much energy trying to find the right wheel, making it impossible to challenge for the win.

"It helps if the sprint train is a bit longer, that you have someone who can really sacrifice himself in such a sprint. Dan did well in itself and dropped Olav off where he had to. It then cost Olav just a bit too much effort to get into Milan's wheel, before he had to go around the outside in the bend. These are all efforts that make it a bit more difficult to ride a good sprint."

Kooij had a good opportunity in this sprint, but when racing against someone like Milan, there is almost no margin for error. Wynants acknowledged that Visma’s approach to Tirreno-Adriatico limits the strength of their lead-out, something that becomes evident in sprints of this nature.

"This was a good chance for Olav, but with Milan you don't have much margin for error," Wynants continues, who is then confronted with the question of whether the sprint train for such a Tirreno isn't simply too meager. "We have to make choices and come here for a classification with Simon and Cian. In Paris-Nice we also made those choices."

The team had already anticipated that they would be short on lead-out riders, with only Dan McLay as direct support. The absence of Niklas Behrens, who is sidelined with a broken collarbone, only compounded this issue.

"We knew in advance that we would have a very limited lead-out, with only Dan and then Olav, who has to surf a bit on other wheels. Attila and Dylan did very well up to 4 kilometers from the finish, but ideally, you still have Niklas Behrens with you, but he is at home with a broken collarbone."

Beyond their limited lineup in Italy, the team is also focusing on another key priority, preparing their leaders for the Classics. Wynants pointed out that four key riders are currently at altitude, including Tiesj Benoot and Wout van Aert, who are training on Tenerife alongside Wilco Kelderman.

Van Aert’s absence from Tirreno-Adriatico is part of a calculated decision to optimise his conditioning ahead of the Giro d’Italia and the spring Classics. The Belgian, who is now 31, will be targeting his first monuments win since 2020, before making his debut at the Giro, and then he will return to the Tour once more in July.

This busy schedule is why Van Aert is currently at altitude, and not racing in either Italy or France this week.

"Wout will be there in the Giro d'Italia, that will make a big difference. We are honest about that and Dan will know that too. He is doing it with the resources he has, but with Wout we will have more firepower."

Visma | Lease a Bike has long been strategic in their race calendar planning, prioritizing long-term goals over short-term results. With Van Aert opting for an altitude block rather than an early-season race program, the team is hoping to replicate last year’s strong form before his unfortunate crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

"Making choices always means losing, but if he wins the Tour of Flanders... You never know in advance what the best choice is, but we have the feeling that he was really top last year, until he fell in Dwars door Vlaanderen. That is the feeling that has stuck, why we are choosing this approach again," says Wynants.

Looking back at Tirreno-Adriatico stage 2, Wynants ultimately questions whether Van Aert would have been the deciding factor in the final sprint against Milan.

"He is a leader, but he was not the big loss in the sprint. Milan deservedly wins, but if you ride this sprint with such a bend ten times, you probably often get a different winner."