Results Tour de France 2026 stage 5 - Olav Kooij shines in Pau and brings Decathlon its first Tour victory
Cycling
The 2026 Tour de France had so far rewarded UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek. Today, it was Decathlon CMA CGM Team to add its name to the winners' list, as Olav Kooij won the first bunch sprint of the race in a crash-marred finale in Pau.
The stage had 158 kilometers in length and followed a mostly pan-flat profile close to the Pyrenees, starting in Lannemezan and finishing in Pau. A day that finally, for the first time, favoured the pure sprinters.
Baptiste Veistroffer was the sole attacker at the start of the day and for the first time at this Tour de France, launched one of his iconic breakaways. With no-one else in the peloton daring to join the Lotto-Intermarché rider, it resulted in an hour-long breakaway.
Inside the final 40 kilometers of the stage there were a few hilltops, but not too much action. In the KOM point Alex Baudin sprinted to gather 1 point, whilst his teammate Kasper Asgreen followed the move after the summit of British champion Fred Wright.
But the duo were followed by Quick-Step's Valentin Paret-Peintre, who effectively acted as a tampon to the attack. The three riders were caught shortly after and Veistroffer's attack ended with 14 kilometers to go.
Cofidis and Uno-X headed to the front of the peloton and for good reason. The technical finale began with around 6 kilometers to go, where a fast corner saw a few riders crash in the peloton. The pinch point, just outside the sprint zone, opened up a split in the peloton - with the gaps to be taken into account.
Astana was the team that had the best leadout on the day and carried Max Kanter to the head of the peloton into the final sprint, but the sprint was opened up by Olav Kooij who came from behind.
The Dutchman, racing for Decathlon, managed to take his first Tour de France stage and justify the team's decision to bring the men to support him.
Kooij beat Kanter to the line whilst Tim Merlier was only third from behind; and Jasper Philipsen was fifth. Biniam Girmay was sixth and Mads Pedersen was seventh, meaning the outlook on the points classification has not changed dramatically.
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Results Tour de France 2026 stage 5
Carlos Silva is a writer for CyclingUpToDate.com, where he contributes race reports, interviews, analysis pieces, and live coverage of the international cycling calendar. Holding a degree in Sports from the Jean Piaget Institute, he combines academic knowledge of performance, training, and competition with hands-on journalism experience in professional cycling.
Throughout his career, Carlos has conducted interviews with leading figures in the sport, including Alberto Contador, Joaquim RodrĂguez, Ă“scar Pereiro, JoĂŁo Almeida, Isaac del Toro, Derek Gee, John Degenkolb and Geraint Thomas. These conversations reflect direct engagement with Grand Tour winners, Classics specialists, and emerging talents.
He has provided on-site coverage at major events ranging from the Vuelta a España to the Tour de France, alongside stage races such as Vuelta a AndalucĂa, Volta ao Algarve, Volta a Portugal and O Gran Camiño. Covering the mythical climbs of the Giro d'Italia remains one of his professional ambitions.
Carlos is responsible for liveblog coverage of all major WorldTour races and beyond, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. His reporting integrates verified data from ProCyclingStats to ensure statistical accuracy, contextual depth, and analytical precision.
A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he approaches storytelling across written, photographic, and video formats with a focus on credibility, tactical insight, and informed race interpretation.
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