Kooij’s lead-out man free to leave Visma | Lease a Bike: "I’m available"

McLay's move to Visma | Lease a Bike last winter was quite surprising. The experienced sprinter had been riding for Arkéa-B&B Hotels since 2020 and made it into the WorldTour in 2018 with the current EF Education-EasyPost team. He had ten victories to his name when he arrived, but that wasn't why McLay was brought in. He took his place in the sprint train of Kooij in particular, whom he assisted in Oman, the UAE Tour, and the Tirreno-Adriatico, among others.

Kooij scored a stage victory in Oman and Tirreno, and McLay is currently competing in the Tour of Poland, where Kooij has also won a stage. After the Polish stage race, the duo will head to the Renewi Tour and the Tour of Britain. After that, the end is in sight for McLay. “I'm not signed up yet, so if anyone wants me for the next year or two, I'm still going. I think Visma is off the cards, they want a big, pure bunch sprinter for next year, so that rules that out.”

Read more below the photo.

After the Copenhagen Sprint in June, McLay trained hard to make the second half of the season a success. “I had a nice training camp in the summer, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it. This time last year, I was recovering from the Tour de France, so overall my legs aren't too bad. And the sun's shining too. Olav does not need too much help, so we always try to keep it free. I just try to help him when needed, but we're not too rigid about it.”

McLay's mind is already on 2026, as the Brit has not had a flood of phone calls so far. “There's been a little bit of talking, but not too much more than that. So if anyone wants me, I'm available.”

McLay and Kooij will not be the only riders leaving Visma | Lease a Bike after 2025. Only 23 riders are currently signed to the Dutch team for 2026. Dylan van Baarle has already opted to go for Soudal-Quick Step, and Attila Valter will be riding for Bahrain Victorious from next season. Tiesj Benoot also seems set to leave the team, although his new destination is not yet final. However, rumors of a transfer to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are also strong.

No incoming transfers have been announced at Visma | Lease a Bike, although top talents Pietro Mattio and Tim Rex will be transferred from the development team.