Mar 03, 2024 at 5:04 PM Update: 3 days ago
Olav Kooij won the first stage of Paris-Nice on Sunday. The young Dutchman from Visma-Lease a Bike beat Mads Pedersen, among others, in the sprint and immediately captured the first leader’s jersey.
The opening stage of the ‘Course to the Sun’ was over a hilly course around the Parisian suburb of Les Mureaux. The question was in advance whether the classification men would take matters into their own hands. That turned out not to be the case, which turned into a sprint by a large group.
The Dane Pedersen took the lead early. Kooij passed the former world champion of Lidl-Trek and pushed his front wheel across the finish line a little earlier. Behind this, New Zealand top talent Laurence Pithie of FDJ took third place. Nils Eekhoff (dsm company PostNL) came fourth.
It was the third victory of the year for 22-year-old Kooij. ‘The Cheetah of Numansdorp’ started with a victory in a Spanish preparatory race, before striking in the UAE Tour. Last season, Kooij also won a stage in Paris-Nice.
Top favorites Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic showed themselves briefly on the last climb of the day. The young Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step accelerated, but the Slovenian had a ready answer. Roglic makes his debut in Paris-Nice for his new team BORA-hansgrohe.
Paris-Nice lasts until Sunday. Monday’s stage is largely flat. The French stage race was won last year by Tadej Pogacar, who is currently taking a rest after his controversial solo victory in Strade Bianche on Saturday. The Slovenian will be present again in Milan-San Remo (March 16).
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Image: ANP
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CyclingParis-NicePrimoz RoglicRemco Evenepoel