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 identify to the listing 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 a substitute of racing Tirreno-Adriatico, Kooij could have management standing within the workforce for Milan-San Remo alongside Alex Zingle and probably Christophe Laporte who could 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 seem slim. But sprinters can by no means be written off at Milan-San Remo.
Kooij completed a formidable 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 believe I’m feeling even higher. Milan-San Remo is certainly one 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 stated of the dash. “Initially all the things went properly. Thanks to the pacing of the boys I managed to outlive the climb, however then I used to be stunned on the plateau by the echelons and we had been caught behind. Sometimes I believed we’d come again and typically I misplaced hope a little bit however after we caught the assaults I used to be extra decided. The purpose was to win a stage and after an enormous battle like in the present day, that is very nice.”
Kooij received 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, Classic 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 through their growth workforce. 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 try to win since you by no means know the way the ultimate will go,” he stated of La Classicissima.
“I do not assume I can stick with the most effective guys once they assault on the Poggio however when you’re near the highest of the Poggio and in a chase group, something can occur.
“Last yr we noticed everybody anticipated Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu an der Poel to go away however in the long run, ten guys sprinted for victory and Jasper Philipsen, a sprinter, received it. That offers me hope and motivation.”
