The young sprinter is having a great season. Stage races such as Circuit Cycliste Sarthe and the ZLM Tour were excellent competitions for the 20-year-old rider. Kooij took a total of five stage victories in these two races. It also brought him the overall victory in both races. In Tirreno-Adriatico and the UAE Tour, just like the Tour of Poland races at the WorldTour level, Kooij showed his excellent form several times with some podium finishes.

"It's going very well this season", Kooij says. "But that certainly doesn't mean that I am saturated as far as the current calendar year is concerned. After the Dutch championships, I deliberately took a short rest period. Subsequently, I prepared myself for the last block of the season. This period now lasted long enough. I feel like racing and can't wait to get involved in the battle for the day's victories."

Kooij is ambitious. "I want to go for stage victories in the stages that end in a bunch sprint. I estimate that this applies to three stages. Maybe there will be four, but some stages have a vicious ending. I feel the team has a lot of confidence in me and I hope to reward it with a stage win somewhere in the coming stages. The Tour of Poland will be successful for me if I succeed at that."

The stage race's 79th edition starts Saturday in Kielce and ends seven stages later in Krakow. On the penultimate day, a twelve-kilometre time trial awaits the riders. In addition to a good result in the bunch sprints, Team Jumbo-Visma aims to let several riders race in a free role. "In Sam (Oomen, ed.) we have a rider who can ride uphill with the best. We will all support him in the tougher stages. Many guys haven't raced for a while or recently went on altitude training. We all feel like racing again and want to open the last block of the season in a good way. I am hungry for another victory", an eager Kooij concludes.