“It’s really special to win the second stage here too”, Kooij says afterwards. It marked the ninth victory of the season for the 23-year-old sprinter. “The team had to put in a lot of work throughout the day, and this win is the reward. A fantastic start to the week for us.”

As expected, all eyes were once more on the fast men ahead of the second stage. On a mostly flat route, starting and finishing in Stowmarket, four riders broke away early. Team Visma | Lease a Bike kept the race under control on the rain-soaked roads of southeast England and caught up the escapees with only a few kilometres remaining.

While Kooij benefited from a flawless lead-out yesterday, the yellow-and-black formation lost each other slightly in today’s finale. The Dutchman found his own way and powered to his second consecutive win. It was already the sixth time in his career that he raised his arms in triumph at the Tour of Britain. “It seems like this race suits me well.”

“Compared to yesterday, we had to work harder with more riders to bring back the breakaway. In the finale, we had fewer teammates left, but I was well-positioned with Matthew. At the very end I lost him, picked my own line, and jumped onto the right wheel. When I saw enough space ahead of me, I decided to go all-in. Straight away I felt I was the fastest”, Kooij explains.

His victory lifts Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s season tally to 34 wins. Tomorrow, the team faces a similar stage in England, where all eyes will once again be on the fastest men in the peloton.