Thanks to 'truck’ Affini, van Aert and Kooij celebrate over 'ketchup effect' and Visma | Lease a Bike's big turnaround

"We couldn't have hoped for a better weekend," Kooij agreed in his flash interview. "Saturday was already fantastic for the team, and I was determined to give it my all today. The team made it a lot easier for me: all I had to do was push in the final," said the Dutchman, referring to the fantastic work of van Aert and, of course, Edoardo Affini. "We had a plan, but executing in sprints is never easy. We were very committed to achieving a good result with the whole team."

"Edo and Wout went all in, and we were perfectly positioned," observed Kooij, who got a nod from van Aert. He was the last rider, but the Belgian pointed to Affini, who had the most challenging task. "The lead-out was textbook. Edo had to go pretty early, but that's a truck. Once he gets up to speed, he doesn't slow down. No one could get past him. It was great to go into that last corner with Olav."

And so van Aert once again contributed to a very successful Grand Tour story for his team. "It's extraordinary. Difficult to describe. We had hoped for this as a team but didn't think it was possible during the final weekend. We'll remember this for a long time." Sports director Reef was also delighted. "I'm super happy with this outcome. Edo and Wout did an incredible lead-out, after which Olav finished it off fantastically."

"It's more than just a cherry on top, after we won the race with Simon Yates, of course," said Reef, who saw van Aert and Kooij bond during the Giro. "We knew from previous opportunities that they were becoming increasingly attuned to each other. The most important thing is that they were together in the final. They lost each other for a moment at 2.5 kilometers, but Olav quickly found the wheel again, and Wout used Decathlon to catch up with Edo."

Reef also complimented Affini. Visma | Lease a Bike rode impressively through the Roman streets, allowing Kooij to celebrate with a bike length to spare. "I think Alpecin-Deceuninck was in the lead, and Edo took a turn 400 meters from the finish. It was fantastic to see how Wout pulled him ahead and that Olav was confident to go for that sprint."

After the stage win on day 12, it was Kooij's second victory. And that was a nice boost after his bad crash in Gent-Wevelgem. "Olav had a difficult start. He broke his collarbone five weeks before the Giro, so that wasn't ideal. From stage twelve, he had to wait nine days for this next opportunity. He fought his way through the mountains fantastically, and now he's showing how much quality he has again."

"We came here with three leaders, and all three have been successful. It was a brilliant Giro," said van Aert, referring to Yates, Kooij and himself. Things didn't work out for the Belgian himself in the first week. He was dropped several times and there was no successful lead-out for Kooij. "But It's like an almost empty ketchup bottle; you keep shaking it, and nothing comes out for a long time. But at one point, it all comes out at once, and that's what happened in this Giro."

Kooij agreed with this when speaking to IDLProCycling.com. In addition to Yates' overall victory, Visma | Lease a Bike was aiming for more. "We were delighted on Saturday, but there wasn't much time to celebrate because of the transfer to Rome. We were able to channel that into one last push. I felt good in the second week and got through the third week with today in mind. Sometimes, we fell short, but ultimately, we had a great Giro with the team. It's exceptional to end it with a weekend like this."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])