Dumoulin thinks Kooij has outgrown Visma | Lease a Bike: "It's up to Olav to take the next step"

Kooij is currently in his final contract year at Visma | Lease a Bike. The rumors about the super fast man from the Netherlands are running at full speed, and Dumoulin understands that very well. Because it seems his time with the Killer Bees is up. "It is a fantastic team, and he is actually good there; he just outgrew the team," Dumoulin explained on the podcast De Grote Plaat. There, he was the guest of former cyclist and journalist John den Braber and singer Blaudzun.

These are harsh words, but the Limburger immediately explains them. "Not in the sense that the team isn't good enough for him anymore, but he can't take the next step. And for him, as a sprinter, that is the Tour de France. He can win stages there, and it is about time for that." In the Tour de France, Visma | Lease a Bike aims for the yellow jersey with two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard. The team is built around the Dane, which means Kooij will not travel to France in the summer.

Kooij is currently chasing stages in the Giro d'Italia, but success has yet to come. That is not surprising because the course is not tailor-made for him, according to the 2017 Giro winner. "He now has to start in a Giro with the fewest sprint stages in history, more or less, with a lack of preparation due to his crash in the spring. That's a pity. One of the current sprinters cannot show what he is capable of. He belongs in the Tour." Kooij finished second in Lecce behind Casper van Uden but didn't get any further. The purple jersey was soon out of the picture: the supreme Mads Pedersen seems to be grabbing that prize.

In terms of pure speed, few sprinters in Italy can match Kooij. In the full sprinters' peloton, only Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan, and Jasper Philipsen are names the Dutchman should really see as competitors. But although that trio is going to the Tour, Kooij stays home. "Logically, Visma | Lease a Bike cannot offer him that, which I also fully understand. Then it's up to Olav to take the next step and seek his fortune elsewhere." Allegedly, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale has excellent papers for the sprinter's services.