Friday May 3, 2024 at 7:05 PM
Olav Kooij is ready for his debut in a Grand Tour. The Dutch rider is one of the many sprinters who will take his chance in the upcoming Giro d’Italia. What does Kooij expect from his first Grand Tour? “I see at least six chances for a bunch sprint. Maybe even a few more,” Kooij said, among other things CyclingFlits.
The 22-year-old Kooij told the assembled press that he is not necessarily nervous for his first big tour. “I am especially curious. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I am very happy to be here. In terms of nervousness, it is not really different from other races. I will certainly gain new experiences, but we will see how that will go.”
“I expect it to be a race of a very high level. There are a lot of sprinters here. It will be a great battle,” Kooij briefly looks ahead. The rider from Numansdorp will be hunting for stage victories in the Giro, but also dares to look further. “The main goal is to win a stage first. Then, especially after the first week, we will see if anything is possible in the points classification. It will definitely be in the back of our minds.”
Strong sprint train
“I expect the biggest opposition from Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan. But there are many strong sprinters here. I think of guys like Fabio Jakobsen and Caleb Ewan,” Kooij continued. These are riders who have already won at the highest level and therefore have much more experience.”
Kooij will be assisted in the sprints by a strong sprint train. It will consist of Edoardo Affini, Tim van Dijke and Christope Laporte. “We will need our train in at least six trips. I see six opportunities for the sprinters. Maybe there will be a few more, but that depends on how tough the final will be made in a number of tougher stages.”
