Image: from Kayishema Tity Thierry X @TityKayishema
By Open Chronicle
Olav Kooij claimed victory on Stage 5 of the 2026 Tour de France, winning the first genuine bunch sprint of the race in Pau and immediately justifying his decision to leave Visma for Decathlon CMA CGM. The 24-year-old Dutch rider defeated Max Kanter and Tim Merlier in a fast and disrupted finale.
The result gave Kooij a Tour de France stage win at his first real opportunity to contest one. The opening team time trial had been followed by two stages suited to climbers and a successful breakaway on Stage 4, delaying the sprinters’ first chance until the fifth day of racing.
¡Victoria de Olav Kooij! El corredor neerlandés del (Decathlon), gana al esprint la etapa 5 del Tour de Francia.🤩💪👏 📹Eurosport pic.twitter.com/W3TPU5OGHv
— ⚡MazaCiclismo⚡ (@RuedaPedal) July 8, 2026
A major victory after leaving Visma
Kooij had long been regarded as one of the most promising riders developed by the former Jumbo structure. He remained with the team until the end of 2025 and won three Giro d’Italia stages across two appearances, but repeatedly missed the Tour de France as the team prioritised Jonas Vingegaard’s overall ambitions and Wout van Aert’s freedom in the race.
His move to Decathlon CMA CGM on a three-year contract was intended to give him greater leadership and access to the sport’s biggest stage. In Pau, he delivered the individual breakthrough he had been seeking, securing an important victory for a team more commonly associated with climbing and general classification objectives than elite bunch sprints.
The success also eased pressure on the French squad, which entered the Tour with significant ambitions surrounding 19-year-old Paul Seixas. With Kooij’s stage win secured, the team already has a major result from the opening week.
Crash disrupts the sprint trains
The finale was influenced by a crash approximately 5.6 kilometres from the finish, which disrupted several sprint trains and caused splits in the peloton. Kooij successfully navigated the confusion before producing the strongest acceleration in the closing metres.
Max Kanter of Astana finished second, while Tim Merlier of Soudal completed the podium. Jasper Philipsen placed fifth, Biniam Girmay was sixth, and Mads Pedersen finished seventh. Pedersen retained the green jersey because his principal rivals failed to recover enough points.
General classification remains unchanged
The leading general classification riders avoided losing time to one another. Tadej Pogačar led the main group across the line 14 seconds behind Kooij, with Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas, Jonas Vingegaard and race leader Torstein Træen also finishing safely.
Træen therefore retained the yellow jersey, holding an advantage of seven minutes and 53 seconds over Pogačar before the race’s first major mountain examination.
Tourmalet awaits
The next stage is expected to produce a significant test for the overall contenders, with a summit finish at Gavarnie Gèdre. The route also includes the first category Col d’Aspin and the hors catégorie Col du Tourmalet, a 17-kilometre ascent that rises above 2,000 metres.
For Kooij, however, Stage 5 represented the perfect confirmation of his career move. Given his first Tour de France sprint opportunity, the Dutchman converted it into victory and established himself among the race’s leading fast finishers.