Third consecutive podium finish for Kooij in ZLM Tour
Olav Kooij has added another podium to his ZLM Tour tally. After his victories in the first two stages, Kooij had to settle for second place in the third stage.
It took the riders partly through the hills of Limburg. The question was whether there would be a sprint at the finish in Buchten.
Six riders broke away early in the race and got a four-minute lead. On behalf of Team Jumbo-Visma, Lars Boven immediately took control of the peloton and slowly reduced the gap. After the riders passed the hill zone, it had become clear the stage would end in a sprint.
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Despite all his pulling at the front in the hill zone, Boven was again attentive. The young Team Jumbo-Visma rider rode a solid final and almost single-handedly reeled in the leading group. It was then up to his teammates to set up the sprint. This worked perfectly with Mick van Dijke as the last pawn for classification leader Kooij. In a fair sprint, Mareczko was slightly faster.
"Unfortunately, I did not have the legs to finish it off"
"I still have mixed feelings", Kooij acknowledged. "We knew the stage could potentially make a difference in the GC. We also knew we were heading for a sprint when we were through the hill zone. From then on, we focused on the day's win, and the guys rolled out the red carpet for me. Unfortunately, I didn't have the legs to finish it off. That's a shame, but it was a fair sprint."
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ZLM Tour
Stage 3
Result
1
Jakub Mareczko
Alpecin-Fenix
04:27:36
2
Olav Kooij
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:00
3
Alexander Salby
Riwal Cycling Team
+00:00:00
7
Mick van Dijke
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:00
29
Tosh Van der Sande
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:00
46
Jos van Emden
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:00
52
Tim van Dijke
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:00
68
Michel Hessmann
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:32
81
Lars Boven
Jumbo-Visma
+00:05:30
Rankings
1
Olav Kooij
Jumbo-Visma
10:21:13
2
Jakub Mareczko
Alpecin-Fenix
+00:00:12
3
Elia Viviani
INEOS Grenadiers
+00:00:15
7
Mick van Dijke
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:27
11
Tosh Van der Sande
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:28
16
Jos van Emden
Jumbo-Visma
+00:00:35
18
Michel Hessmann
Jumbo-Visma
+00:01:29
24
Tim van Dijke
Jumbo-Visma
+00:01:43
91
Lars Boven
Jumbo-Visma
+00:24:21
