Transfer interest builds around Olav Kooij as the sprinter races the Giro and not the Tour
'We’ll see how that plays out and how the team sees the future for me' says talented sprinter
With Tim Merlier off the board after signing a contract extension at Soudal Quick-Step, the Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij has become the most high-profile sprinter on the transfer market for 2026, and Visma-Lease a Bike’s decision to overlook the 23-year-old for the Tour could open the door even more for rival teams to make a move for the talented rider.
Visma’s determination to once more build their Tour de France roster around Jonas Vingegaard is a sound one. The Dane has won the Tour de France twice and finished as the runner-up in his other two starts, but such a strategy comes with risk, and in this case, it means holding Kooij out of a race that his talents are good enough to compete in.
“I would have liked to have done the Tour de France but as the team explained the main focus will be on fully supporting Jonas and the GC. With that explanation I understood that there would be no place for me,” he told us at the Visma-Lease a Bike team presentation in Spain on Tuesday.