ROME – Olav Kooij is about to enter the mix zone. It's been perhaps twenty minutes since his victory, but then Wout Van Aert calls him back.Come on, let's go to Simon's award ceremony. (Yates clearly, ed.)». And so it ended up that between toasts, awards, anti-doping, TV priorities, and various pats on the back, the Dutchman of Visma-Lease a Bike He appeared at the microphones when the shadows had already covered even the highest points of the Roman Forum.
He is the king of Rome. He's the one who won the final sprint on a less obvious circuit than expected. A ring in the heart of the capital that at times recalled the undulating GP Liberation and arrived on the hill overlooking the Circus Maximus.
Turbocharger Related
One might have thought that the Hornets, who today actually wore pink instead of yellow, could have been satisfied with the two stage victories and above all with the incredible pink jersey they won yesterday. And instead here they are, spread out on their Cervélo. The final train, a direct one, was made up of Edoardo Affini, Wout van aert and precisely Kooij.
The speed was incredible. The breakaway was flying, and the pack was filing away like a classic. It's not like tired legs. Or at least, if that was the case, the riders didn't show it. La Alpecin-Deceuninck he did a great job for Caden Groves, enchanted by the technical and tough circuit and the uphill finish: 300 meters at five percent.
But when the mega engines come into play, there's little you can do. Here's Affini's account of the final 1.500 meters: "There was a lot of tension, and it was a bit of a timing game in the final stretch. The other teams also wanted to stay ahead, and above all, they had sacrificed some men to close in on the breakaway, which was going really strong. So a bit… everyone was without men and for this reason it was necessary not to get the sprint times wrong. At that point we started to speed up, we thought everything would start but they moved and the speed dropped."
Those are moments of uncertainty where the cards are reshuffled. And right there, Affini scores a masterpiece for his team and for Kooij.
"There were a couple of accelerations again," Affini explains, "but I managed to stay in position without wasting too much time. Then, a kilometer and a half in, I saw it was time to go and I said to myself: 'Now. It's all or nothing.'" On the radio Wout let me know they were in a good position. He said, “We’re here.” I realized they were right behind me, and that was an important indication to accelerate hard. When you know your teammates are following you, you have even more motivation, more confidence. You know you're not just running around in circles."
Victoria Kooij
At that point Kooij “just” had to push his bike to the finish line. «Edoardo – says Kooij – He was a great one to push like that and in turn Wout was able to push very hard too. It was my turn and I couldn't help but push hard on the pedals... The only fear I had wasn't for the sprint itself but to be able to stay on the pedals after three very tough weeks."
It's not easy to complete a perfect sprint, but today I think we managed it with the whole team. Before Affini and Van Aert, who, I repeat, positioned me perfectly, the others had also done their job admirably. Therefore I'm glad I repaid them like this».
Before going any further, Olav also dedicated a thought to Robert Gesink, a cornerstone of this team. «Today we rode with an additional special emotion, for the loss of the wife of our former teammate Gesink».
Pink Jersey Party
"Olav," Affini says, "is definitely a great sprinter, I'd say one of the best in the world. And what a finale for us, with Simon in the pink jersey. It was beautiful to finish the Giro d'Italia like this, with Olav first in Rome. It was a stage we had circled in red. And believe me, Today wasn't a catwalk at all, as they say. We were going strong all day. Apart from obviously the first part with a few photos, a few celebrations."
Kooij also echoes Affini's words and is eager to break away from his victory. After all, it's understandable: they won the Giro d'Italia. "This end of the week has been incredible, really. Yesterday's action with Simon was, it was… I don't even know how to put it: crazy! And then to win here in Rome. Simon's victory gave me even more energy. We've had an incredible 24 hours.».
The Dutchman focused on Rome. Somehow, he managed to enjoy the spectacle of this historic finish. "It was beautiful, we rode with a stunning view. I already knew the Colosseum... A beautiful circuit, but also tough. Now we'll celebrate with a lovely Roman dinner!».
