Kooij and team face new big test: "We need to know what to expect without speaking too much about it"

Jesper Mørkøv, brother of the formidable lead-out man Michael got off to a good start as Kooij and Visma | Lease a Bike's sprint specialist. The team is undergoing some changes at the WorldTour level - in the UAE Tour. Steven Kruijswijk, Jorgen Nordhagen, who did not start, classification man Cian Uijtdebroeks, and U23 rider Pietro Mattio will be replaced in the United Arab Emirates by Bart Lemmen, Thomas Gloag, Julien Vermote, and Tosh Van der Sande.

"Our primary goal is to maintain the good momentum with the sprint train," Mørkøv explains through the team's channels. "We aim for stage wins with Olav, but we also want to optimize the collaboration between him further, Daniel McLay, and Niklas Behrens during the race. Additionally, we have Thomas Gloag and Bart Lemmen, who will get the chance to ride for their own results in the two mountain stages. They will also be keeping an eye on the overall classification." Lemmen finished in the top ten on the UAE Tour last year.

On paper, there are four sprint opportunities in the UAE Tour, where just about all the world's best sprinters will be at the start. "We have already seen some great things from the sprint train in the Tour of Oman. Daniel has a lot of experience, while Olav, of course, has the talent and ingenuity to finish it off. Olav already trusts Daniel implicitly, even though they have not yet competed together very much. That is a good sign. The level in the UAE Tour will undoubtedly be very high, with the necessary top sprinters at the start. We are looking forward to measuring ourselves against that level," says the sports manager from Denmark.

Kooij himself is also looking forward to measuring himself against his major competitors. "The Tour of Oman was definitely a success. With two sprint opportunities and two stage wins, I think we performed well as a team. The first test with our new sprint setup was a success. In the UAE Tour, we will be competing at a higher level. It's up to us to prove that we are ready for that challenge."

Nevertheless, the Dutchman is also looking at the WorldTour competition in terms of the process. "It's always great to start the season that way. In the UAE Tour, we hope to deliver again. A stage win would be fantastic, but it's also about fine-tuning the connection within the sprint train. We need to be able to anticipate each other's moves without too many words during the race. That already worked well in Oman. In the UAE, we hope to perfect it even further."

In addition to Kooij, many other good sprinters have been announced, including Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier. "Many of the stages seem to be similar to last year's, so we are looking forward to this race with a lot of confidence," said sports director Geert Van Bondt of Merlier's team, Soudal Quick-Step. "We have a strong train and a sprinter in good form, so there is a lot of faith and confidence." Ayco Bastiaens, Josef Cerny, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Casper Pedersen, and Bert Van Lerberghe will support the two-time stage winner of the AlUla Tour.

In Saudi Arabia, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) and Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic PostNL) were defeated, but they too are back in the other Middle Eastern country. "I am feeling in good form for the UAE Tour, and I have a strong team around me for the sprints. I was really close to the win two times at the AlUla Tour, and we can carry that momentum into this race. I know how it is to win at the UAE Tour and would like to add another victory this year," said Groenewegen.

"Our goal with Dylan is obviously to get a stage win," adds team leader David McPartland. "Walscheid, Mezgec, and Reinders are all here with the task of delivering him to be able to sprint for the win. Durbridge and our new neo-pro Donaldson will be support across both fronts. The wind can tear this race apart. Some years it happens and some years it doesn't. Who knows what this year's race will bring but we will be prepared."

"The UAE Tour will follow the well-known recipe: a mix of sprint stages, a time trial and two mountain finishes that will determine the battle for the GC," says Roy Curvers of Picnic PostNL. "Oscar (Onley, ed.) is our leader for the GC, so it's up to us to protect him well throughout the week. He will go for stage wins in the mountain stages, automatically putting him high in the rankings. In the sprint stages, everything revolves around perfectly setting up Fabio so he can compete for the win," the Dutch team says.

Olav Kooij
Bart Lemmen
Julien Vermote
Tosh Van der Sande
Thomas Gloag
Dan McLay
Nikias Behrens

Tim Merlier
Ayco Bastiaens
Josef Cerny
Pascal Eenkhoorn
Casper Pedersen
Bert Van Lerberghe
Junior Lecerf

Bob Donaldson
Luke Durbridge
Dylan Groenewegen
Chris Harper
Luka Mezgec
Elmar Reinders
Max Walscheid

Tobias Lund Andresen
Julius van den Berg
Alex Edmondson
Fabio Jakobsen
Enzo Leijnse
Niklas Märkl
Oscar Onley