Monday May 6, 2024 at 5:53 PM
Olav Kooij finished sixth in the first bunch sprint of the Giro d’Italia. The Dutchman from Visma | Lease a Bike had good legs, but got trapped in the last kilometer. “For me it was really a continuous rush and standstill in the final phase,” Kooij said afterwards.
“It was a quiet stage, but then there was that intermediate sprint. Suddenly the whole thing was split in two,” Kooij said Eurosport. “We raced really well there. I didn’t talk much with the other sprinters, it was mainly just riding fast. Ultimately, it makes sense that we were caught again.”
In the final kilometers the sprinters still had to keep up with the unleashed Tadej Pogacar, which made the sprint preparation chaotic. “For me it was a constant rush and standstill in the final phase. I wanted to go left, but there was no gap. Then I went to the right, but then I suddenly lost all my speed.”
“But okay, I’m pretty happy after yesterday’s fall. It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t experience many problems today. Hopefully, things will return to normal in the next few days,” Kooij concluded.
