Kooij wins difficult opening stage Paris - Nice
Olav Kooij has won the first stage of Paris - Nice. After a tough finale, the 22-year-old sprinter from Team Visma | Lease a Bike managed to beat Mads Pedersen with an ultimate effort. Because of his victory, Kooij becomes the first overall leader in the French stage race.
In the opening stage of the 82nd edition of the Race to the Sun, teams with ambitions for the general classification did not give three breakaway riders a big lead. With the hilly finale in sight, the favourites for the overall win showed themselves in a sprint for bonification seconds in Montainville. Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader Matteo Jorgenson took the full maximum of seconds, ahead of Remco Evenepoel and Egan Bernal.
After the fight for bonification seconds, the peloton rode towards the finish line in Les Mureaux. There Kooij, after perfect preparation by his teammates, chose Pedersen's wheel. With a clever final shot, the sprinter from Numansdorp managed to beat the former world champion. Kooij took his third win of the season and he became leader in the overall, points and youth classification. For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, it was already the tenth victory this season.
"I was excellently supported by the team today"
"This win was gratifying," Kooij responded afterwards. "We knew beforehand that a tough stage awaited us, but that didn't stop us from giving it our all. I was excellently supported by the team today. It was hard on the final hills, but it became clear that we were going to sprint for the win with a depleted group. It was close at the end, but I am happy to win straight away. Tomorrow normally follows another opportunity for the sprinters, so we will have a good chance to defend the yellow jersey."
