After three stages in Albania, the peloton arrived in Alberobello for the first Italian stage of this year’s race. With just one categorized climb and an otherwise flat course, a bunch sprint was both expected and inevitable.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike had set its sights on a sprint victory with Kooij. The Dutchman, a stage winner in Naples last year, was well protected throughout the day but still tested his legs along the way. At an intermediate sprint, Kooij showed he meant business by beating pink jersey wearer Mads Pedersen, picking up valuable points for the sprint classification.

A strong Edoardo Affini guided his young teammate through the final kilometers. In the chaos of the finale, they lost their intended lead-out Wout van Aert. Nonetheless, Affini delivered Kooij near the front for the final few hundred meters. The Dutchman became somewhat boxed in and was only able to start his sprint late. Despite hitting a high top speed, he fell just short of overtaking Van Uden at the line.

“Edoardo did a fantastic job, putting me right where I needed to be in the final kilometer”, said Kooij. “Unfortunately, I got boxed in during the chaos. There was a moment of hesitation, and the speed dropped. I got stuck and couldn’t break free in time. That meant I launched my sprint too late and couldn’t come around Casper anymore. He’s definitely a deserved winner. It was a very technical finish, and I think there might have been more in it for us today.”

Sports director Marc Reef echoed Kooij’s words. “We wanted to fight for the win today. I think we were in good position all the way up to the local lap. That’s when we lost sight of each other a bit—it was pretty chaotic. Still, Edoardo managed to get Olav into a strong position. The opportunity was there today, but we came up just short. Thankfully, there are plenty more chances to come in this Giro”, said the Dutchman.