A dash victory after a tough hilly stage at Tirreno-Adriatico is a transparent signal of a Milan-San Remo contender and Olav Kooij added his title to the checklist of sprinters who might win La Primavera together with his victory in Trasacco on Thursday.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider is using Tirreno-Adriatico for the second time in his profession hoping that it’s going to give him the shape for Milan-San Remo. With Wout van Aert opting to coach at altitude for the cobbled Classics as an alternative of racing Tirreno-Adriatico, Kooij may have management standing within the crew for Milan-San Remo alongside Alex Zingle and presumably Christophe Laporte who might make his 2025 season debut after sickness disrupted his winter.
With Tadej Pogačar anticipated to spark a tough and selective Milan-San Remo as soon as once more and with an assault on the Poggio, Kooij’s possibilities could appear slim. However sprinters can by no means be written off at Milan-San Remo.
Kooij completed a powerful if little-noticed 14th in his debut within the race final March. He was in a chase group that completed behind Philipsen, Pogačar and the remainder of the attackers however was solely 35 seconds behind the dash for victory.
“This yr I feel I am feeling even higher. Milan-San Remo is one in every of my dream races and so hopefully I can perform a little bit higher than final yr,” Kooij instructed Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport after his victory in Trasacco.
The Dutch sprinter survived the assaults on the early climbs excessive within the central Italian Apennines after which fought to get again when echelons cut up the race. He was lucky that Soudal-QuickStep rode exhausting for Paul Magnier however Kooij was far sooner and tactically superior within the swerving dash to the road.
“I simply went for it,” he mentioned of the dash. “Initially every thing went effectively. Due to the pacing of the boys I managed to outlive the climb, however then I used to be shocked on the plateau by the echelons and we had been caught behind. Typically I believed we might come again and generally I misplaced hope slightly however once we caught the assaults I used to be extra decided. The aim was to win a stage and after an enormous battle like as we speak, that is very nice.”
Kooij gained two sprints on the Tour of Oman however then fell in poor health early within the UAE Tour and was unable to problem big-name dash rivals Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan. He recovered to complete second behind Philispen at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and is now hoping to peak at Milan-San Remo, Basic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem.
Kooij can also be in a contract yr, with a number of groups eager to signal him for 2026, together with Visma-Lease a Bike, with whom he developed by way of their improvement crew. A victory or perhaps a podium at Milan-San Remo would change his profession path, sprinting alternatives and earnings considerably.
Like many sprinters, Kooij is motivated by success and self-confidence.
That unpredictability and that chance is what Milan-San Remo is all about. You all the time have to attempt to win since you by no means understand how the ultimate will go,” he mentioned of La Classicissima.
“I do not assume I can stick with the very best guys once they assault on the Poggio however in case you’re near the highest of the Poggio and in a chase group, something can occur.
“Final yr we noticed everybody anticipated Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu an der Poel to go away however ultimately, ten guys sprinted for victory and Jasper Philipsen, a sprinter, gained it. That offers me hope and motivation.”
