Zonneveld raises concerns about Israel sponsor: "I don’t understand why no one's even talking about this"

"Everyone who heard the news was deeply shocked," Thijs Zonneveld begins his story. "It's just so incredibly sad that someone so young has passed away. I thought it was wonderful that Visma and the Giro honored her in this way because Gesink is, of course, one of the team's founders. Without Gesink, the whole team might not exist anymore. But it's just so incredibly sad."

But the race had to continue, and not much happened during that stage. "I don't like stages like that at all. Until the final kilometers, when Visma did a fantastic lead-out again, Kooij finished it well. But what Affini did was the most impressive," said Zonneveld. The Italian pulled for almost a whole kilometer and perfectly positioned Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij.

The Dutch analyst was impressed by the lead-out and another less positive point that caught his attention. He finds it unacceptable that Israel is still the title sponsor of a team. "It's actually beyond belief that there is a team sponsored by a country that commits genocide. I don't understand why no one is talking about this. It's as if it's a normal brand name, and that's not normal."

"It's so normal for riders to ride around with all kinds of names on their jerseys that it's not even a topic of discussion," Zonneveld continues. "The same goes for UAE, a country where human rights have been violated for years, while they sponsor the best team in the world. Cycling doesn't exactly excel in having great sponsors."

In recent years, the Grand Tours have often been dominated by a rider who was head and shoulders above the rest. If it wasn't Tadej Pogacar, it was Jonas Vingegaard or Remco Evenepoel. In 2024, the Slovenian won the Giro, six stages, and triumphed with a 10-minute lead. "Compare that to this year's Giro: what a wonderful spectacle it was. How many riders will come out of this feeling motivated and enthusiastic? Thinking: wait a minute, this is actually really fun, racing to win and competing for the win."

This year's Giro d'Italia was an open race from start to finish, which made for a fantastic battle. Zonneveld explains why it was so great. "Cycling isn't a sport where the best always wins, even though that has often happened in recent years. But what makes cycling so interesting is that you don't have to be the best to win. There are all kinds of ways to win races: you can do it tactically, and you can do it with luck. And let's be honest, Yates was also pretty lucky."

The Dutchman still thinks that the Giro winner wasn't the strongest man when you look at the entire three weeks. "He was the best GC rider once. Once! And that was on the Finestre, the decisive stage. That was largely thanks to the cooperation of Mr. Del Toro and Mr. Carapaz."

But now, back to the race because the Dutch team was also celebrating in Norway. "That Brennan is unbelievable. Just a 19-year-old kid dominating the entire Tour of Norway. Kooij may be moving to Decathlon, but the next top sprinter is already waiting — and he can easily climb a hill, too. A really impressive young man."

This brings the victory score for Visma | Lease a Bike to 21, something they could only dream of three weeks ago. "What a difference it makes. You can see in the team that confidence has skyrocketed. The fact that Yates won the Giro like this is fantastic for the team and himself. It's all coming together for Yates."