"It feels wonderful to come back like this": Olav Kooij picks up where he left off with immediate sprint win
Cycling
The 2026 season had lacked one of the world's for a long time, but Olav Kooij is finally back from his persistent health issues. And whilst he makes a racing debut for his new employer, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, the Dutchman has decided to spice things up with an immediate sprint victory on first opportunity.
"Sometimes you just have to believe in it. I have to thank my team. My teammates believed that I could achieve a good result here. They did a great job. For me, it feels wonderful to come back like this after all those months," Kooij said.
Even though the final 500 meters a straight, before came a sharp corner which the Dutchman recognized as a key moment for the sprint: "Everyone expected a sprint, so we all knew that the last corner was very important. We had a good plan with the team. When I saw the finish, I thought: I just have to sprint and see how far I get."
In a competition of Mads Pedersen or former teammate Matthew Brennan, Kooij admitted that to win on first try was quite a surprise to him. "In recent years I always rode to win, but today it was more about enjoying the fact that I am back in the peloton after such a long period without races. I just wanted to enjoy myself and do what I love most."
But it also shows the extremely close level among competitors because his closest opponents today - Alessio Magagnotti, Anthony Turgis and Alessio Delle Vedove - are no household sprinter names (yet).
Olav Kooij wins stage 1 of 2026 Boucles de la Mayenne
Double on Sunday?
The Boucles de la Mayenne continue on Saturday with what seems to be a decisive stage of the French race with a massive 215-kilometer stage and a hilly circuit which totals over 3,000 altitude meters. Kooij will look mainly at survival with view to the Sunday's final stage which once again seems like a good chance for sprinters.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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