"The hat trick was already extraordinary, but this is beyond all expectations”, points leader Kooij said. In Newark-on-Trent, the young top sprinter recorded his 26th professional victory. "We were the favourites to win today. But that's always easier said than done. We took control of the race today. We showed that we wanted to go for the fourth.”

Kooij's fourth win puts him on a par with Edvald Boasson Hagen (2009) and team-mate Wout van Aert (2021), who also recorded four wins in a single Tour of Britain. The Norwegian also did so without a break.

Kooij praised Van Aert and the other teammates. "The strength of the team makes the difference here. They put me in a position to sprint for the win four days in a row. It's been an incredible week, and we're gaining confidence. We will enjoy this win before we look at the opportunities that may come our way in the next few days”, the ambitious rider said.

After teammates Jonas Vingegaard won three stages in a row at the Spanish stage race O Gran Camiño and Primoz Roglic won three in a row at Tirreno-Adriatico, Kooij added his fourth consecutive victory. With his 11th victory of the season, the sprinter also increased his team's tally to 56 victories.

"Olav has done something miraculous here”, sports director Maarten Wynants said. "It might look easy from the sidelines, but it's not. The field is very strong. That makes it even more special. Olav has a lot of self-control. He knows exactly what he wants and works very hard for it. That is his greatest strength. He appreciates his teammates' work. For example, he is thrilled that Van Aert, one of the best riders in the world, is in charge of the lead-out. This motivates Olav even more. We are happy with the way things are going here. We are only halfway through this Tour of Britain, so more is still to come.”