Dutch cyclist Olav Kooij, known for his fast finishes, had to leave the Giro d’Italia race because he got sick. His team, Visma, announced this on Tuesday just two days after he won a big race.
Olav, who is 22 years old, won a stage of this big cycling event for the first time on Sunday by speeding past another cyclist named Jonathan Milan at the very end. But soon after he fell ill and had to stop racing.
Visma said in a message, “This Giro d’Italia sweeps us through a range of emotions. Olav Kooij developed a fever during the rest of the day. He is unable to continue. Get well soon, Grand Tour stage winner.”
The team is also facing other difficulties. Their main cyclist, Wout Van Aert, is hurt and other team members Robert Gesink and Christophe Laporte had accidents in the race.
The race continued with its tenth stage, which started in Pompeii and was 142 kilometers long, going to Cusano Mutri. The route was uphill, making it harder for the racers. Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar is leading the race overall. He is ahead of Colombian cyclist Daniel Martinez by 2 minutes and 40 seconds, and Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas is a further 18 seconds behind.
