Sam Oomen secured the ninth position in the 2018 Giro d’Italia, providing support to Tom Dumoulin. This happened five years ago when expectations were high for the 23-year-old Dutch rider.
However, circumstances did not unfold as planned, and Oomen had to settle for a secondary role at Jumbo-Visma, to which he joined in 2021. Making the transition to the Lidl-Trek team next year, Oomen aims to regain his shine alongside his friend Tao Geoghegan Hart.
Recommendation from Tao Geoghegan Hart
“Sam’s name came from Tao (Geoghegan Hart) when we were talking to him. Sam’s contract expired, and we were looking for that kind of rider, so everything worked out,” says Steven de Jongh, sports director of Lidl-Trek, in a conversation with the Dutch newspaper In de Leiderstrui.
Departure from Jumbo-Visma
“I had the feeling that it was good to go to another team. It seemed somewhat contradictory because Jumbo-Visma is a very familiar team, with many acquaintances from the Rabobank era. But the team is changing, and my career is too short to leave something behind. I would have regretted it if I didn’t make a change.”
Friendship with Tao Geoghegan Hart
“It’s hard to explain, but I’ve known him since the first year when we were 17 or 18. We always competed against each other, but sometimes we also talked. Sometimes these conversations suddenly turned into very good talks, also off the bike. Then you know: we understand each other. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s different when you become teammates.”