Dutch Tour Debutant Kooij Claims Chaotic Stage Win
- On Wednesday, Decathlon CMA CGM rider Olav Kooij won stage 5 of the 2026 Tour de France in Pau, claiming his first-ever victory during his race debut.
- The flat 158.3km stage from Lannemezan to Pau remained calm until a crash at 5.5km to go fractured the peloton, disrupting team lead-outs in the final sprint.
- Kooij surged past XDS-Astana rider Max Kanter on the closing straight, while Soudal-QuickStep's Tim Merlier finished third in the reduced group of around 20 riders.
- Uno-X Mobility leader Torstein Traeen finished safely in the peloton 14 seconds behind the lead sprint group, preserving his overall race lead despite the late disruption.
- After fighting through injury and illness earlier this year, Kooij said, "I had to wait to this day to get this first chance to sprint in the Tour, and to immediately win is unbelievable.
104 Articles
104 Articles
The Dutch cyclist Olav Kooij won the fifth stage of the Tour de France.
Tour de France: Traeen remains in yellow jersey
Glance: Kooij takes stage 5 victory in Tour de France
Decathlon’s Olav Kooij sprinted to victory in stage five of the Tour de France in Pau on Wednesday, justifying his team’s decision to bring him to the race alongside general classification contender Paul Seixas. It’s the 51st victory of the 24-year-old’s career, but his first at the sport’s biggest race. It’s Decathlon CMA CGM’s first sprint win at the Tour since 2004.
ledauphine.com
lalsace.frLong diminished at the beginning of the year, Olav Kooij has passed, over the months, from a leader status at Decathlon CMA CGM to have to fight to keep his place on the Tour de France in a collective revolved around Paul Seixas. But by winning the first victory of his career on the Grand Boucle on Wednesday, in Pau, the Dutchman has already justified his presence.
The Dutch cycling pro Olav Kooij decided on Wednesday for the fifth stage of the Tour de France! The rider of the Team Decathlon finished in the sprint of the field in the flat section over 158 kilometers in Pau ahead of the German Max Kanter and the Belgian Tim Merlier. The yellow jersey of the overall leader remains on the shoulders of Torstein Träen. The Norwegian continues to lead the overall classification 28 seconds before the American Sea…
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