'That one is really going to hurt' - Decathlon reflect on Kooij's Tour sprint near-miss

Kooij, who sprinted to victory on stage 5, found himself well positioned in the finale and appeared to be primed to challenge for a second stage victory. 

However, a moment of hesitation allowed Wærenskjold to launch his decisive move from a distance and hold on for the win.

“Just missed it. You could say that,” Kooij told NOS post-race. 

“We were in a really good position. I thought Jasper Stuyven and then Cees Bol, that looked perfect. Cees actually took the lead, and then I tried to let Stuyven in between, but he was already done,” explained Kooij. 

A spanner was thrown in the works when Kooij’s lead-out man, Bol, unexpectedly opened a gap in the final few hundred metres, leaving the sprinters behind unsure whether to chase or wait for their own lead-out trains to continue. 

For Kooij, it was even more of a puzzle as he didn’t want to close the gap to his own teammate for the rest, but also didn't want to compromise his own momentum by slowing down.

“I wasn’t right on his [Bol's] wheel at first… He pulled away for a moment... He really had a decent lead. Because I held back for a moment, I quickly lost speed. And [Søren] Wærenskjold goes all in, it’s all or nothing for him, and he’s the one who keeps it up.”

Decathlon sprint coach Mark Renshaw shared Kooij’s disappointment, believing his rider had the speed to win the stage, but credited the performance of Wærenskjold, who timed his effort to perfection.

“I think he [Kooij] was simply the fastest guy out there today. Yet he didn't win. Hats off to Wærenskjold, who took the initiative to launch his sprint first. He was incredibly strong. Still, this one is going to hurt,” Renshaw told In De Leiderstrui.

“It always comes down to timing and positioning in the finale. He was well-placed, but he was just half a second off. That’s how it goes in a sprint.”

Despite the disappointment, Renshaw praised the team’s performance and believes Kooij can respond immediately, with another sprint opportunity waiting on stage 12, though one he noted was the final pure sprint of the 2026 Tour.

“The team was really good today. Olav definitely had the legs to win. That’s the beauty of the sprint: the best rider doesn't always win. Wærenskjold was really, really strong today. He got his timing absolutely perfect. He launched from a long way out and took the win.”

“Tomorrow is the last pure sprint of this Tour de France,” Renshaw added. “I’ll motivate the team tomorrow morning to go for a second victory with Olav.”