For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, last year's edition was one with several highlights. Kooij sprinted to two stage wins, Jonas Vingegaard won the overall classification and Wilco Kelderman also made it onto the podium as number three in the classification. Although Vingegaard and Kelderman are not present this year, Team Visma | Lease a Bike is determined to prove itself once again.

"We will be going for stage wins coming week", sports director Jesper Mørkøv is clear about the ambitions. "Unlike last year, we don't have any GC riders with us, but we have a strong team around Olav and Matthew. Olav is our leader in the flat stages and Matthew will try to take his chances in the more difficult stages."

Mørkøv is convinced that the interaction between Brennan and Kooij, who will be riding together for the first time, will go well. "Besides the fact that Matthew can provide an excellent lead-out for Olav, it is beneficial for his development to learn how to set up a sprint. Of course, it remains to be seen how it will turn out, but I am confident that it will go well."

Brennan shares that confidence. The 19-year-old Brit, who already made a big impression in his first season with the WorldTour team, will be fully committed to supporting Kooij in the flat stages. "I'm looking forward to racing with Olav. He has proven himself to be one of the best sprinters in the world in recent years, so I'm sure I can learn a lot from him."

According to the youngster, the coming days will be a wonderful journey of discovery. "As a lead-out, you see the sprint from a different view and notice things you wouldn't normally see. Those are very valuable lessons. It's important for my development to see how a sprinter works and how he uses his abilities. Although it's a completely new experience for me, I think it will help me a lot in the future."

With nine victories and overall victory in the Tour of Norway, Brennan had a successful start to the season. The Brit looks back on the first block of races with pride. "I really enjoyed it. At the start of the season, my goal was to win a race, but I have far exceeded my own expectations. It's great that the team doesn't put any pressure on me and focuses on my development. That way, I can continue to make progress in the right direction."

In addition to Brennan and Kooij, Menno Huising, Steven Kruijswijk, Niklas Behrens, Attila Valter and Dan McLay are part of the seven-member selection of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.