Tour de France Stage 5: Olav Kooij Lands Opening Punch in Bunch Sprint Brawl after Late Chaos

Olav Kooij proved he was worth the roster selection by Decathlon CMA-CGM on Wednesday by delivering a stage win at his first Tour de France.

The Dutchman blasted to the line ahead of Max Kanter (XDS Astana) and alpha sprinter Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) on stage 6 of the Tour to mark a massive comeback from a season that had looked derailed by sickness.

Kooij was sidelined with a virus all spring and only returned to racing at the end of May.

Many had questioned whether the 24-year-old speedster should have been selected by a team that’s shouldering the hopes of the French nation with teen sensation Paul Seixas in the GC.

Kooij answered the doubters Wednesday with an assured stage win at his first bunch sprint of the Tour de France.

‘”After a couple of hard days already, I’ve had to wait for this first chance to sprint at the Tour,” Kooij said at the finish. “To win already is unbelievable.

“It means a lot after a really tough spring to get back to this level.”

Crash splits bunch but no time gaps given

A sizable crash split the bunch at 5.4km to go of Wednesday’s stage, leaving a gang of Uno-X Mobility to power the reduced front group into the city-center finish in Pau.

All the sprint heavyweights were there for the final kick – Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, and Mads Pedersen.

But the underdog won out.

“I just managed to find my way. I was there on my own in the end, and I found the right wheel,” Kooij said.

“I just wanted to have the chance to sprint today. When I saw the line, I just went as hard as I could.”

Yellow jersey Torstein Træen (Uno X Mobility) was caught up in the crash and came to the line with a banged-up bike and looking scuffed.

GC favorites Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) were also caught behind the split. There were minor gaps between the favorites as they came to the line but no time differences were awarded.

There were no changes at the top of the general classification ahead of a trip over the Col du Tourmalet on Thursday.

Veistroffer sacrificed at the breakaway altar

The peloton eased off the accelerator Wednesday in yet another infernally hot day at the Tour de France. At 158km in distance and with only a few molehill climbs, the stage into Pau was a recovery ride for all but the bunch sprinters.

It’s hard to say who had it worse on Wednesday’s slow-burner: Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto-Intermarché), or the pundits commentating on the stage for the TV feeds.

Veistroffer attacked at the flag drop, likely expecting companions to come along for the ride.

Nobody was interested.

The Belgian racer plowed a lonely furrow through the plains of the Hautes-Pyrénées while Alpecin-Premier Tech half-heartedly chased behind.

TV commentators were forced to get creative in finding ways to fill the time with chat about castles, cheese, and the peloton’s latest cooling hack.

Veistroffer was finally caught at around 15km to go – more than 140km and three-and-a-quarter hours after he attacked.

The Tourmalet towers over stage 6

The Tour de France switches gears again on Thursday.

Stage 6 marks the first high-mountain stage of the race and features two of the most legendary climbs of Tour de France history. However, the historic Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet might arrive too early in Thursday’s stage to prove truly decisive.

The Tourmalet tops out 40km from the line before a huge descent and 19km false-flat uphill drag to the finish in Gavarnie-Gèdre.

You can check the full details of the stage in our stage preview here.

Tour de France stage 5 results