Belgian sports directors draw worrying conclusions about Dutch teams — and the Kooij/Uijtdebroeks transfers

This year, the survey included 34 sports directors from both WorldTour and ProTeam level. They were first asked which transfers they considered the best from a rider’s perspective. Notably, the top four were all moves completed before the riders’ contracts had expired.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) received ten and nine votes respectively, while Biniam Girmay (NSN) and Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers) were also frequently mentioned. Evenepoel and Onley were praised mainly for the step up they appear to have made with their moves, while Ayuso’s switch was viewed above all as something of a “liberation.”

Dutch top sprinter Olav Kooij also received three votes — which makes sense on paper, as the 24-year-old can prepare for full leadership in the sprints at Decathlon CMA CGM.

What makes it notable is that Kooij also appears on the list of worst transfers, according to the same group of sports directors — a clear sign of how divided opinions are on his move. Which side ends up being right will take time to judge. Kooij battled a virus infection during a training camp and has not yet raced for his new team.

Another rider frequently named as a poor transfer is Kooij’s former teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks. The young Belgian moved to Movistar, meaning he is already with his third team despite still being early in his career. Earlier, Uijtdebroeks took a swipe at his former employer Visma | Lease a Bike, criticising the training approach at the Dutch squad.

Finally, the general tone from the sports directors regarding the Dutch teams’ off-season was strikingly consistent. Picnic PostNL and Visma | Lease a Bike came out as clear numbers one and two in the survey for the WorldTour teams that have been weakened the most this winter.

Picnic PostNL, of course, lost leader and Tour revelation Oscar Onley, and also saw another major talent depart in Tobias Lund Andresen. Visma | Lease a Bike, meanwhile, said goodbye to riders including Olav Kooij, Tiesj Benoot, Cian Uijtdebroeks, and retired Giro winner Simon Yates.

Whether that will show up in results this season remains to be seen — starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, where Visma are set to start with Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and the young Matthew Brennan among others. Picnic PostNL, meanwhile, will hope for a standout ride from experienced sprinter John Degenkolb.