How the top talents fared in 2023: Olav Kooij continues to win, but is waiting for his first Grand Tour
Sebastian Lindner
· 05.11.2023
He has delivered again. Olav Kooij has notched up 13 victories this season, surpassing his record from the previous year by one. He clinched the 28th victory of his career on his 22nd birthday. Neither Peter Sagan nor Remco Evenepoel nor Eddy Merckx managed that.
Kooij really let it rip in the second half of the 2023 season in particular. At the Tour of Britain, for example, he won the first four stages in a row. He collected further victories on the World Tour at the Tour de Pologne and the Tour of Guangxi. However, his biggest victory to date was probably the 5th stage of Paris-Nice in the spring.
So far no Grand Tour for Olav Kooij
Not only was it Kooij's most important victory to date; it was probably also the one in which he outdid his biggest rivals. Because while Kooij rode to his successes in smaller races, many of the big sprinters fought for the more prestigious victories in the Grand Tours.
It would be an exaggeration to speak of a blemish in his career to date. Although Kooij has been riding for a World Team for almost three years and has won plenty of races, he has not yet competed in the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana or even the Tour de France. But the only thing that may have prevented him from taking part in a Grand Tour so far is the fact that he is under contract to Jumbo-Visma - the best cyclo-cross team in the world.
2024 the first Grand Tour for Olav Kooij?
The Dutch team won all three-week tours in 2023. There was no room for sprinters. But that is set to change next year. The sprinter with the second most victories this season after Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) will be heading to the Giro or the Vuelta for the first time next year.
Kooij told RIDE Magazine that the prospects of consistently developing his skills were a decisive factor in his decision to extend his contract with Jumbo, which was due to expire in June, until the end of 2025. And he obviously sees this in the Dutch team and the internal insurance for his first three-week tour, as there was no shortage of offers from other teams, all of which he turned down. In particular, dsm-firmenich is said to have made great efforts to sign him.
Conclusion: Kooij will achieve even greater victories next year
Olav Kooij has signed with Jumbo with the promise of being able to tackle his first three-week national tour. If he stays fit, he will ride it. Even though the Giro and Vuelta traditionally offer fewer opportunities for sprinters than the Tour de France, Kooij can still hope for his first major victory.
As he has relatively little mass to carry over the mountains for a sprinter, the probability should increase as the race progresses - if the young Dutchman already has the necessary race hardness. And once he has proven to his team with his first victory that he can be the fastest, most likely even without a sprint train, his chances of success will improve even further. It is therefore quite likely that a great career awaits Kooij.
