Five riders quickly chose the breakaway in the first stage of the five-day stage race through Belgium and the Netherlands. The escapees managed to build a two-minute lead under warm conditions but were caught by the peloton seventeen kilometers before the finish. At fifteen kilometers from the finish, Kooij and Mick van Dijke, along with several other riders, crashed unfortunately. While Van Dijke was able to quickly continue, Kooij was left injured. Fortunately, the Dutch rider was eventually able to continue his way as well.

“We followed our plan and controlled the race very well,” sportive director Arthur van Dongen looks back. “We were in a good position every time until the crash. The crash with Olav was immediately a big hit. It was immediately clear that he would no longer be able to compete for the win. Besides Olav, Mick also fell, but luckily he was able to return to the peloton without any problems. Olav went to the hospital for check-ups; we hope he can continue his way in this stage race.”

“It was a hectic day today,” Christophe Laporte continued. “We went with Olav for the sprint, but unfortunately he got involved in a crash. Then the plan was to go for me in the sprint, but in the last kilometer, I was too far back. It was a hot day today, but luckily I felt good. I'm looking forward to the next few days.”

The Renewi Tour continues tomorrow with a 15-kilometer time trial. “We have four guys with Tiesj, Christophe, Per, and Mick who can ride a good classification; for them, tomorrow will be an important day. We don't have a favorite for tomorrow, but we are going to give everything,” Van Dongen concluded.