'I'm excited for the future' - Kooij not yet ready to reveal 2026 plans

Johan Cruyff’s aphorisms off the football field proved to be every bit as enduring as his talent on it. “Every disadvantage has its advantage,” was a favoured maxim, and his fellow Dutchman Olav Kooij embodied that spirit in Legnica on Monday.

Kooij was the outstanding favourite to win stage 1 of the Tour de Pologne and he duly delivered, powering clear of Paul Magnier to claim the 42nd victory of his career. After descending from the podium, he politely shrugged off the idea that being the man to beat in a situation like this was a disadvantage. If anything, he suggested, it had been a benefit.

“Somehow others also want your wheel, which in a sprint can be beneficial because they are also fighting for your wheel instead of fighting with you,” Kooij said. “That can be an advantage also. And we had a strong team today, so I think that helped.”

Kooij was backed on Monday by a strong Visma | Lease a Bike squad that includes Steven Kruijswijk and Matthew Brennan, but it seems increasingly clear that his time with the team is drawing towards an amicable close.

Two years ago, Kooij had looked set to exit in search of greater opportunities in Grand Tours only to be persuaded to make a late decision to stay put. It paid dividends, given the wins he notched up on the Giro d’Italia in 2024 and 2025, but this time out, such a reprieve seems unlikely. 

Daniel Benson reported in May that Kooij is set to join Decathlon-AG2R in 2026, though the 23-year-old is not yet in a position to confirm the transfer.

“I’m really excited for the future, but what it will bring, you guys will know at a certain point. Right now, I cannot tell too much,” said Kooij. “There were offers and talks but there will be a time and place for that.”

The Tour de Pologne is Kooij’s first outing since he was surprised by Danny van Poppel at the Dutch Championships in June, and Monday’s victory was his first since he claimed the final stage of the Giro in May. He will hope the residual benefits of completing a Grand Tour for the first time will stand him in good stead over the remainder of the season.

“I’ve had some time to recover and then build up to the final part of the season, so the feeling was pretty good going into the race,” Kooij said. “And it’s also nice to get that confirmation in the race. It’s a bit harder this year, because previous editions had more opportunities for the sprint.”

Kooij’s teammate Matthew Brennan is likely to be Visma’s option for the next two days ahead of another likely bunch finale in Cieszyn on stage 4. But no matter how the Tour de Pologne plays out, Kooij will have ample opportunity to notch up more wins in Visma yellow. “I’ll do Hamburg after this, then the Renewi Tour, the Tour of Britain and some one-day races,” he said.