“I’m pleased I could reward the team with this win,” Kooij said afterward. “Everyone contributed from the start. We executed our plan well, despite the chaos in the final kilometres. We briefly lost each other in the chaos, but I managed to move to the front at just the right moment. It’s the fourth year in a row I’ve won a stage here. I already had many positive memories of this race, so it’s great to add another one.”  

The peloton set off from Wrocław for a stage of nearly two hundred kilometres towards Legnica. A breakaway of three riders was kept under control by the peloton, with Steven Kruijswijk – who recently extended his contract by a year – doing much of the work. The escape was reeled in well before the finish. The run-in to the sprint was chaotic, but Kooij managed to find his way to the front with the help of his teammates. Matthew Brennan put in a final effort in support of Kooij, who then sprinted convincingly to the stage win.  

Sports director Jesper Mørkøv: “The team did an excellent job today, and it was rewarded in the end. Steven rode on the front for most of the day to keep the early break within reach. Then it was up to the rest of the team to get Olav into a strong position for the sprint. The finale was chaotic; everyone was scattered for a while, but Olav knows better than anyone how to navigate the bunch. It’s a great feeling to start this race with a victory.”