Olav Kooij Secures Victory in the Challenging Opening Stage of Paris – Nice

In the first stage of the Paris – Nice race, contenders for the general classification did not allow a significant lead to three breakaway riders. The race intensified towards the hilly finish, as the top contenders vied for precious seconds in Montainville. Matteo Jorgensen of Team Visma | Lease a Bike seized the maximum seconds, edging out Remco Evenepoel and Egan Bernal in a sprint.

After the fierce sprint, the peloton pushed towards the finish line in Les Mureaux, where Olav Kooij, benefiting from his team’s excellent support, strategically positioned himself behind Pedersen. With a well-executed final move, the Numansdorp sprinter triumphed over the former world champion. This marked Kooij’s third victory of the season, propelling him to leadership in the overall, points, and youth standings. Team Visma | Lease a Bike notched their tenth win of the season with this result.

“This win was gratifying,” Kooij shared post-race. “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.”