Four riders, including Edoardo Affini, attacked on the hilly circuit around Leuven. The breakaway built up an advantage of more than three minutes but was reeled in by the peloton with 50 kilometres remaining.

In the tough finale, Kooij was well supported by his teammates, allowing him to start the final climbs in a strong position. He managed to hold his place in the reduced peloton, but in the bunch sprint he was unable to contest the win. Still, after a very strong week, the 23-year-old sprinter secured fifth place in the general classification.

“Olav was really strong today,” said sports director Marc Reef afterwards. “It was a tough stage in which Edoardo showed himself in the break, but he didn’t get much room. In the finale we were able to support Olav well, and he made a big impression, although unfortunately he couldn’t sprint for the win.”

Even without an additional victory on the final day, Reef looks back on a successful week. “We had a good week. With Olav we won a stage, and on top of that he finished fifth overall, which is a great result. Christophe Laporte also had a strong week, and we saw him getting better day by day.”