“He could have won quite comfortably” – Adam Blythe picks out Olav Kooij error that cost victory on fastest Tour de France stage ever

Olav Kooij narrowly missed a second Tour de France stage win in Nevers, but former British champion and TNT Sports pundit Adam Blythe believes the decisive moment came before the Dutchman had launched his sprint. In Blythe’s analysis, Kooij surrendered Cees Bol’s slipstream and gave Soren Waerenskjold an advantage he could not recover.

The Decathlon CMA CGM Team sprinter still closed rapidly to finish second, passing Jasper Philipsen before the line after Waerenskjold committed early on the right-hand side.

“He did not follow his lead-out man, and I think he could have won the stage quite comfortably if he had,” Blythe concluded in a detailed analysis posted on Instagram.

Kooij’s missed opportunity came on a day raced at an average speed of 50.9km/h, making Stage 11 the fastest in Tour history.

Mathieu van der Poel had completed his work for Philipsen when Jasper Stuyven moved into the space ahead of Kooij and Bol began his final effort for Decathlon.

“This is the key moment for me,” Blythe said. “You can see Kooij allow Stuyven into the middle. There is a gap, but Kooij is sitting off the wheel ever so slightly. Then his lead-out man goes. Kooij knew he was pulling off, but he should have moved into that slipstream.”

Blythe then traced the hesitation which allowed Waerenskjold to accelerate down the right while Kooij remained seated. “He waits and waits,” Blythe continued. “Soren Waerenskjold comes down the right-hand side, Kooij sees him go past but does not react, and then ends up waiting for Pascal Ackermann before getting onto his wheel.”

Kooij finally rose from the saddle with Waerenskjold already clear. He passed Philipsen before the line but ran out of road before he could reach the Uno-X Mobility sprinter.

“I think he is the fastest man at this Tour de France, apart from Tim Merlier,” Blythe said. “In a one-on-one battle, he might even be able to beat him.”

Kooij’s final acceleration showed the speed behind that assessment, but came after he had already lost Bol’s wheel and spent part of the sprint exposed to the wind. “He starts sprinting here, but Waerenskjold is already gone,” Blythe explained. “Kooij is still seated, so he is not even at full sprint yet. He then gets out of the saddle, starts properly opening his sprint into the wind and uses that small amount of slipstream before passing Philipsen right on the line.”

Kooij’s second place followed his Stage 5 victory in Pau. Waerenskjold claimed his first Tour de France win only 24 hours after finishing last on Stage 10.