🇳🇱 Olav Kooij (@vismaleaseabike) wins the 4th stage of #TourdePologne 🇵🇱! 🇮🇪 Sam Bennett in second, 🇩🇰 Mads Pedersen third.
Kooij for the win! Dutchman beats Bennett and Pedersen and increases success Visma | LaB in Tour of Poland
CyclingFriday, 16 August 2024 at 08:51
Olav Kooij won the fourth stage in the Tour of Poland. The rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was the best in a more than 200-kilometer stage that ended in a bunch sprint. He already claimed his third stage in Poland. Sam Bennett was second, with Mads Pedersen finishing third. Jonas Vingegaard kept his leader's jersey without any problems.
After the two punchy arrivals, won by Thibau Nys, and the challenging climbing time trial, it was finally up to the sprinters on Thursday. At the beginning of the stage, there were two small hills ahead of the riders, but they should not thwart a sprint. Around 12:30, the men started. Chances for, finally, sprinters like Olav Kooij and Mads Pedersen!
Quite a scare with fall also holding up Vingegaard in pre-final
Before sprinting, it was first up to the Polish home riders. Norbert Banaszek tried in the breakaway and got Spaniard Mikel Azparren of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team with him. An intermediate sprint ended their adventure early on, with Soudal Quick-Step, Movistar, and Team Visma | Lease a Bike, keeping the pace tight. As a result, the Poles Michal Paluta, Banaszek again, and Kacper Gieryk also had little space. The hilly zone did not cause big names to drop out among the fast men.
The peloton kept it tight, controlling the stage, and thus, riders felt it was enough. A classic slow-paced stage unfolded toward Prudnik, who says slow-paced stage, says crashes. At twenty kilometers from the finish, men from Alpecin-Deceuninck and Groupama-FDJ were suddenly lying at the edge of the road. Yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard was behind, but he came back, and his team then led the way to the sprint for Olav Kooij.
Approach to sprint marked by rain, Kooij takes victory
The crash then caused a lot of nervousness on the not-very-wide Polish roads. However, the real hustle and bustle did not materialize, and a bunch sprint was now imminent. The weather also played a factor, as it started to rain at the finish. At full speed, it headed towards the final kilometers. There it was then, Visma | Lease a Bike, that successfully brought Kooij into position. Mads Pedersen went into the sprint first but was overtaken by the Dutchman, who was simply faster. Bennett still finished second; the Dane of Lidl-Trek was third.
Results stage 4 Tour of Poland 2024
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024