Powered by
Kooij also adds Porec Trophy to palmares

Kooij also adds Porec Trophy to palmares

Olav Kooij has won the Porec Trophy. The young rider from the Jumbo-Visma Development Team proved to be the fastest of the peloton in a bunch sprint. It was the second time this week that Kooij celebrated a victory after having won the Umag Trophy on Wednesday.

Several small breakaways hardly made a difference. The Jumbo-Visma Development Team made a number of attempts to force a break in the peloton, but the men of sports director Robert Wagner were also unable to pull away from the large group. In the final, Kooij was put in a good position by his teammates. Subsequently he won the fourth race for the Jumbo-Visma Development Team of the season.

Kooij is happy with his second victory of the season. “With a second place in the Ster van Zwolle and a victory in the Umag Trophy, my start to the season was already good, but this win makes it even better. The race was a bit tougher than Umag, but not tough enough to break the peloton. In the end it was a sprint in which my teammates helped me well. We were leading the peloton early, but they persisted for a very long time. After that, I only had to sprint."

“We believed it was possible today”, Wagner said. “The climb was just not long enough to make a difference, after which we tried to put Olav in good position for the sprint. The last kilometre and a half went up. This was a very fair sprint. Olav won with a big difference and he again showed that he has fast legs. Whether I am surprised that he can do this? Yes and no. We already saw what he can do at training camp, but a race is different. This is really good for a first-year U23 rider.”

Jumbo-Visma Development Team had planned to compete in the Istrian Spring Trophy in Croatia with another selection, but due to the coronavirus crisis, the team has decided not to.

Related updates