'Olav is going nowhere' - Kooij surprises with Jumbo-Visma contract extension

Olav Kooij
Olav Kooij wins the 2023 Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl. (Image credit: Getty)

Olav Kooij has signed a two-year contract extension with Jumbo-Visma despite significant interest from other WorldTour teams in securing the young sprinter’s services.

Jumbo-Visma poked gentle fun at those overtures in a social media video to announce the extension, which showed Jonas Vingegaard and Christophe Laporte recording farewell messages for Kooij only to be interrupted by directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman: “Olav is going nowhere, Olav is staying with us.”

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.