Kooij Wins Thrilling Tour Of Britain First Stage

1 week ago

Olav Kooij of Netherlands and Team Visma | Lease a Bike celebrates connected nan podium arsenic shape victor

Adwaidh Rajan

BBC Sport journalist

Dutch rider Olav Kooij won nan opening shape of nan Tour of Britain aft fending disconnected a beardown situation from Tord Gudmestad.

The brace went toe-to-toe successful nan closing shape of nan 167.6km way betwixt Woodbridge and Southwold.

But nan 23-year-old Team Visma-Lease a Bike rider crossed nan decorativeness statement up of Norway's Gudmestad, of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, to declare a 5th shape triumph astatine nan Tour of Britain since his debut successful 2023.

"It's a really bully feeling, of course. It's ever bully to triumph a race, and I person bully memories from present 2 years ago," Kooij said.

"I was happy to travel backmost to this race, and I'm really happy to proceed nan occurrence of 2 years ago."

France's Hugo Hofstetter of Israel-Premier Tech vanished third, while Ineos Grenadiers' Samuel Watson was nan first British rider to transverse nan statement successful sixth place.

Kooij leads nan wide classification pinch Gudmestad successful 2nd and Hofstetter 3rd aft shape one, which needed an early diversion because of a burst h2o main.

Great Britain's Joshua Golliker, meanwhile, is 5th successful nan wide standings.

The 2025 Tour of Britain will besides beryllium nan last master title of Geraint Thomas' illustrious 19-year career.

The 39-year-old Welshman, who won nan Tour de France successful 2018, sustained a puncture connected nan opening shape but recovered to decorativeness pinch nan main field.

The 2nd shape connected Wednesday will commencement and decorativeness successful Stowmarket, pinch nan sixth and last shape finishing successful Thomas' location metropolis of Cardiff connected Sunday.