Heir apparent - how Charlotte Kool hopes to take up the mantle from Lorena Wiebes

Charlotte Kool is one of the fastest-rising sprinters in the peloton, and after spending one valuable season under the tutelage of former teammate Lorena Wiebes, she is more than ready to move into the sprint leadership role at Team DSM. 

"It's going to be weird to sprint against Lorena instead of with Lorena," Charlotte Kool told Cyclingnews. "That will be a bit weird, I guess."

In her first season racing on the Women's WorldTour in 2022, Kool was an enormous part of Wiebes' success and invaluable to Team DSM's sprint lineup, often switching between roles as a primary lead-out and the outright sprint leader in many of the biggest races. She plans to bring that knowledge into the new year, equipped with a powerful lead-out train, to continue to bring her team results.

"I learned a lot, especially being the last lead-out for Lorena, like, how to help in the best way possible with giving signs, talking, or preparation. We did it at the highest level and won many races. So, you will surely learn what works and what will not. I gained so much experience over the last year, which is really valuable, and I will take it with me into this season, of course," Kool said.

Kool will embark on her second season with the top-tier team, where she will face off against some of the fastest cyclists in road racing in the bunch sprints. No longer teammates, Wiebes has transferred to SD Worx and will join another top sprinter in Lotte Kopecky, while other sprint contenders include Elisa Balsamo (Trek-Segafredo), Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), Rachele Barbieri (Liv Racing TeqFind), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Jayco AlUla), and Marta Bastianelli (UAE Team ADQ), to name a few.

Kool isn't looking to compare her abilities against Wiebes or any of her competitors. She's simply looking to make the most of her opportunity as a team leader with a trusted lead-out at the biggest races.

"I don't think I need to look too much to other sprinters. I think we just need to look to ourselves, and I think that's the key because if you're going to look to others, you lose your own [mind] and your own strength a bit. So, we will, for sure, just do our thing and try our best, and we will see what it brings us," Kool said.

"We are already confident. I'm confident. I can't wait to just sprint myself and be out there with the best."

"Pfeiffer Georgi is one of the best lead-outs in the world"

Kool's powerful lead-out team will include Pfeiffer Georgi, who she considers the key teammate to rely on during the finals of the flatter races. The lead-out will also feature Franziska Koch and Megan Jastrab and new signings Meave Plouffe and Daniek Hengeveld.

"We still have Pfeiffer, who I think is one of the best lead-out persons in the world. I'm happy about that, and I think that's the main rider, for me, in the lead-out with a lot of experience. We already know each other, of course, from last year's lead-out together. So, I think that Pfeiffer is the key point in my lead-out," Kool said.

"We also have some really nice exciting new signings with Maeve and Daniek. I think both are strong riders who can be there in the lead-out, too, and we will see how this season will go. We can adjust anytime if necessary. We still really need to find out what will work the best. But with the lead-out that includes Pfeiffer, and the other strong riders that we still have on a team, we are already quite secured. I'm confident."

She has proven that she can contest some of the biggest sprints already. In 2022, Kool was given the lead sprinter's role for Team DSM at the Giro d'Italia Donne, where she finished on the podium in three stages. Those learning experiences have given her confidence as she heads into the new season.

"It was a nice experience two sprints against Marianne [Vos] and Elisa [Balsamo]. They're both, of course, really good riders. I made many mistakes there, but I also gained a lot of confidence about the strength of my sprint," Kool said.

"Maybe I was the fastest, sometimes, but I made too many mistakes. It was valuable, especially looking towards this year, to already see myself sprinting there and learning from my faults, and we can only improve from there," she said.

"I was just super excited during that Grand Tour, and that we're going for it. I couldn't sleep because I wanted to sprint again and again and again. It was really valuable and a nice confidence boost."

Going for it

Team DSM have hired some of the strongest up-and-coming talents from the junior ranks, including silver medalist Eglantine Rayer and bronze medalist Nienke Vinke, in the junior women's road race at the Wollongong Worlds. 

Eleonora Ciabocco, who was eighth at Worlds in the junior women's road race, is also taking the step up to the elite ranks with Team DSM, along with Anna van der Meiden, who was 22nd. All four riders are entering the highest level of the sport at 18 years old.

Kool spent two seasons in the elite ranks racing with NXTG Racing before signing her first WorldTour contract with Team DSM last year. While still only 23 years old, Kool hopes to support the development of the younger riders on the team.

"It was quite different for me because I started from NXTG, so I already did some big races before I came to Team DSM. I was also way older than they are now. I always say to them that they have all the time and that they just need to grow slowly at their own pace," Kool said.

"They're super young, and they have a lot of time, and it will come for sure if the talent is there, and I think the talent is there, as they have already shown in the junior category. It's super nice to have some young riders who are already doing well."

Kool will begin racing with Team DSM at the UAE Tour Women before looking toward the Classics and the Tour de France Femmes later in the spring and summer.

"I'm actually really excited. I'm thrilled to just show my sprint to the world and be the finisher for all those sprint races. It's not that I have so much experience yet in the WorldTour, but I can't wait to just sprint and to go for it."