Olav Kooij (born 17 October 2001) is a Dutch professional racing cyclist,[3] who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike.[4]

Olav Kooij
Personal information
Full nameOlav Kooij
Born (2001-10-17) 17 October 2001 (age 23)
Numansdorp, Netherlands
Height1.84 m (6 ft 12 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Team information
Current teamVisma–Lease a Bike
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Amateur teams
2018Forte U19 Cycling Team
2019Willebrord Wil Vooruit
Professional teams
2020–2021Jumbo–Visma Development Team[1]
2020Team Jumbo–Visma (development)[a]
2021–Team Jumbo–Visma
Major wins
Grand Tours
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (2024)

Stage races

ZLM Tour (2022, 2023)

One-day races and Classics

Hamburg Cyclassics (2024)
Clásica de Almería (2024)
Münsterland Giro (2022)
Medal record
Men's road bicycle racing
Representing the  Netherlands
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Flanders Under-23 road race
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2024 Limburg Road race
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Drenthe Road race

Career

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Kooij rode for the Forte U19 Cycling Team and Willebrord Wil Vooruit as a junior, before signing for the Jumbo–Visma Development Team for their inaugural season in 2020. He finished second to David Dekker,[5] in his first UCI race with the team at the Ster van Zwolle, before he took three successive victories – either side of the enforced break from racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic – at the Trofej Umag, the Poreč Trophy and the GP Kranj.[6][7][8] He competed at the Czech Cycling Tour for Team Jumbo–Visma, with Jumbo–Visma Development Team colleagues Lars Boven, Owen Geleijn and Michel Hessmann.[9]

In August 2020, it was announced that Kooij was to join UCI WorldTeam Team Jumbo–Visma midway through the 2021 season, after spending the first part of the season with the Jumbo–Visma Development Team; he signed a contract until the end of the 2023 season.[10] The following month, he won the opening stage of the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali in a sprint finish, ahead of Ethan Hayter and Phil Bauhaus.[11]

In February 2021, Team Jumbo–Visma announced that Kooij would make an immediate move to the World Tour Team, thus becoming the first teenager cyclist to have a full season contract with the team since its creation.[4]

Major results

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2018
1st   Overall La Coupe du Président de la Ville de Grudziądz
1st   Points classification
1st   Sprints classification
1st   Young rider classification
1st Stages 1b & 4
2019
Tour de DMZ
1st Stages 1, 3 & 5
1st Stage 3 Driedaagse van Axel
4th Road race, National Junior Road Championships
4th Johan Museeuw Classic
5th La Route des Géants Saint-Omer–Ypres
6th Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
7th Road race, UEC European Junior Road Championships
8th EPZ Omloop van Borsele
2020 (1 pro win)
1st   Overall Orlen Nations Grand Prix
1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
1st Trofej Umag
1st Poreč Trophy
1st GP Kranj
1st Stage 1a Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
2nd Ster van Zwolle
5th Road race, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
2021 (2)
CRO Race
1st   Points classification
1st Stages 2 & 4
3rd   Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships
3rd Gran Piemonte
2022 (12)
1st   Overall ZLM Tour
1st   Points classification
1st   Young rider classification
1st Stages 1, 2 & 5
1st   Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
1st   Young rider classification
1st Stages 2 & 4
1st Münsterland Giro
Danmark Rundt
1st Stages 1 & 3
1st Stage 1 Tour de Pologne
1st Stage 1 Tour de Hongrie
5th Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships
5th Classic Brugge–De Panne
2023 (13)
1st   Overall ZLM Tour
1st   Points classification
1st   Young rider classification
1st Stage 4
1st Heistse Pijl
Tour of Britain
1st   Points classification
1st Stages 1, 2, 3 & 4
Paris–Nice
1st Stages 3 (TTT) & 5
Tour of Guangxi
1st Stages 3 & 6
1st Stage 4 Tour de Pologne
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
2nd Classic Brugge–De Panne
2nd Gooikse Pijl
2nd Visit Friesland Elfsteden Race
3rd   Road race, UEC European Road Championships
4th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st   Points classification
1st Stages 1 & 4
8th Gent–Wevelgem
2024 (8)
1st Hamburg Cyclassics
1st Clásica de Almería
Paris–Nice
1st Stages 1 & 5
Tour de Pologne
1st Stages 4 & 7
1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 5 UAE Tour
2nd   Road race, UEC European Road Championships
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd Gooikse Pijl
6th Gent–Wevelgem

General classification results timeline

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Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour 2021 2022 2023 2024
  Giro d'Italia DNF
  Tour de France Has not contested during career
  Vuelta a España
Major stage race general classification results
Race 2021 2022 2023 2024
  Paris–Nice 105
  Tirreno–Adriatico 115

Classics results timeline

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Monument 2021 2022 2023 2024
Milan–San Remo 14
Tour of Flanders Has not contested during career
Paris–Roubaix
Liège–Bastogne–Liège
Giro di Lombardia
Classic 2021 2022 2023 2024
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 89
Brugge–De Panne 74 5 2
Gent–Wevelgem 8 6
Hamburg Cyclassics 16 1
Gran Piemonte 3 84
Paris–Tours 12

Championships timeline

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Event 2021 2022 2023 2024
  European Championships Road race 3 2
  National Championships Road race 7 40 2 2
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

Notes

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  1. ^ Kooij competed at the 2020 Czech Cycling Tour with Team Jumbo–Visma, following the introduction of a UCI rule allowing riders registered with a development team to participate in UCI ProSeries or Class 1 events.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Jumbo - Visma Development Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Part 2 Road Races" (PDF). UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 8 February 2021. p. 7. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Olav Kooij". First Cycling. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Olav Kooij makes early switch within Team Jumbo-Visma". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ^ "David Dekker wint de zestigste Ster Van Zwolle" [David Dekker wins the 60th Ster van Zwolle]. Wielerflits (in Dutch). Wielerflits BV. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020. Olav Kooij werd tweede, voor titelverdediger Coen Vermeltfoort die door zijn vele aanvalspogingen tekort kwam voor de dagwinst. [Olav Kooij came in second, ahead of defending champion Coen Vermeltfoort who came up short for the win on the day, due to his many attacking attempts.]
  6. ^ "Kooij sprints to first season win in Umag Trophy". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Kooij also adds Porec Trophy to palmares". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Kooij restarts season with victory in GP Kranj". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 26 July 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Groenewegen restarts season in Tour de Pologne, mix of young and old in Czech Cycling Tour". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Kooij will transfer to professional squad Team Jumbo-Visma mid-2021". Team Jumbo–Visma. Team Oranje Road BV. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Coppi e Bartali: Olav Kooij wins opening stage". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
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