Kooij secures leading position in ZLM Tour after second place
Olav Kooij has won his fourth consecutive podium place in the ZLM Tour. The general classification leader took second place in Mierlo and increased his lead in the general classification.
The fourth stage also turned out to be a classic sprint stage. A breakaway group of seven riders took the lead but was no threat to the stage win. Team Jumbo-Visma again showed that it dares to take the race into its own hands. Together with other teams, the Dutch squad controlled the stage. Helped by his teammates, Kooij again put himself in an ideal position in the sprint. At the finish line, the young sprinter was narrowly beaten by Dupont.
"We have a strong team, so I want to go for the stage win again tomorrow"
Although he improved his position in the general classification in stage four, Kooij would have preferred to win his third stage. "The fact that I didn’t win is a bit disappointing. The guys had a good lead-out again today. Yesterday I waited a bit too long with the sprint, so I decided to just do it today. I felt I still had good legs. Unfortunately, the sprint didn't work out in my favour. I am slightly ahead in the general classification. That is a good thing with a view to the final classification. We have a strong team here and that's why I want to go for the stage win again tomorrow."