Team Visma | Lease a Bike targets stage win at Renewi Tour with Kooij
While the Vuelta a España is in full swing, the Netherlands and Belgium are gearing up for the nineteenth edition of the Renewi Tour. Team Visma | Lease a Bike will take part in the five-day stage race from 28th August to 1st September. Olav Kooij and Frans Maassen are looking ahead.
Kooij has secured seven victories this season and is feeling optimistic as he approaches the Renewi Tour. He clinched two stage wins at the Tour de Pologne less than a fortnight ago and witnessed his team-mate Jonas Vingegaard triumph in the general classification. The 22-year-old Dutchman hopes to build on that success in the Belgian-Dutch stage race.
"I am really looking forward to it. This race is close to my home, and I know the area quite well," says Kooij. "I performed very well in Poland with two stage wins, which gives me a great feeling. However, at the Renewi Tour, the competition will be fierce once again. We will do everything we can to win a stage as a team, and who knows what else we might achieve."
"Our primary goal is to secure a stage win with Olav."
The Renewi Tour kicks off on Wednesday with a hilly stage to Bilzen, followed by a 15km individual time trial in Tessenderlo. The third and fourth stages are designed for the sprinters, and the final stage to Geraardsbergen, often referred to as the Queen's stage, will determine who can claim the title of winner of the Renewi Tour.
"Our primary goal is to secure a stage win with Olav," said sports director Frans Maassen. "Whether we can contend in the general classification will largely depend on the time trial. We don't have a time trial specialist in the team, although Mick should be able to deliver a solid performance. Beyond that, it's about minimising the damage and seeing how far we can progress. Christophe, Tiesj, and Per could prove crucial in the final stage."
"If the wind picks up, it could result in three days of fierce racing."
Although three relatively flat stages are on the programme, Maassen insists it is not a foregone conclusion that there will be three bunch sprints. "Typically, the sprinters have three opportunities, but it all hinges on the weather conditions. If the wind picks up, it could result in three days of fierce racing. Olav is in good form, but I believe he can improve slightly compared to his performance in Poland. Hopefully, he can demonstrate that this week."
In addition to Kooij, Van Dijke, Laporte, Benoot, and Hagenes, Tosh Van der Sande and Julien Vermote are also part of the Visma | Lease a Bike squad.
