Olav Kooij won in Pau in a chaotic sprint, Torstein Træen stayed in yellow at the Tour de France
Olav Kooij won on July 8, 2026, in the fifth stage of the Tour de France, ridden from Lannemezan to Pau, and thus took his first stage victory in the most famous cycling race. According to the official classification of the Tour de France organizers, the Dutch sprinter of the Decathlon CMA CGM Team finished the 158.3-kilometre-long flat stage in a time of 3:29:07, ahead of Max Kanter from XDS Astana Team and Tim Merlier from Soudal Quick-Step. The finish in Pau was marked by crashes, disrupted sprint trains, and a reduced group that entered the decisive metres, but Kooij remained calm enough in that disorder to launch his sprint at the right moment and hold his advantage to the finish line.
The fifth stage was the first clear opportunity for sprinters in the 2026 edition of the Tour, after opening days in which the time trial, hilly terrain, climbs, and breakaways had played an important role. According to the official stage description, the Lannemezan - Pau route had 1,600 metres of elevation gain and was categorized as flat, although the final part contained shorter climbs and technically demanding sections that further increased nervousness in the peloton. The organizers stated that the stage also included the Côte de Baleix, a one-kilometre third-category climb with an average gradient of 8.8 percent, located at kilometre 132.7 of the race. That detail did not change the sprint scenario, but it further wore down the teams that had to keep the breakaway under control all day.
Kooij made the most of the first major sprint opportunity
According to the official Tour de France report, all the key sprint squads marked the arrival in Pau as the first major opportunity for a bunch sprint at this year’s Tour. After four stages in which time trial specialists, climbers, and attackers from breakaways took turns in the spotlight, the fifth stage offered terrain on which the fastest riders in the peloton could directly test themselves for the first time. Kooij approached that moment as a debutant at the Tour de France, but not as an inexperienced sprinter: in the finale he showed composure, speed, and adaptability after crashes in the final kilometres disrupted the formation of almost all sprint trains.
The official stage ranking confirms that Kooij, Kanter, and Merlier finished with the same time, with time bonuses of ten, six, and four seconds. Behind them, Huub Artz from Lotto Intermarché and Jasper Philipsen from Alpecin-Premier Tech crossed the finish line, while Biniam Girmay, Mads Pedersen, Milan Fretin, Anthony Turgis, and Søren Wærenskjold completed the top ten. Mads Pedersen’s placing was especially important because, according to the organizers’ official report, he kept the green jersey as leader of the points classification by finishing seventh. For Kooij’s Decathlon CMA CGM Team, the victory had additional value because it came in a stage that was not only about pure speed, but also about finding one’s way through an exceptionally untidy final outcome.
Kooij’s success in Pau carries additional weight because of the way the sprint took shape. According to the organizers’ report, two crashes shook up the finale, including a crash around six kilometres before the finish, and the consequence was the fragmentation of the peloton and the loss of positions for several teams preparing their sprinters. In such circumstances, the classic order of lead-out riders often falls apart, so a sprinter must simultaneously read the line, choose the slipstream, avoid risk, and not be late in launching the sprint. Kooij managed to keep a good enough position precisely in that chaos and, in the final metres, was stronger than Kanter and Merlier, two riders who also made use of the reduced room for manoeuvre.
Veistroffer’s breakaway marked the day before the sprint finale
Although the stage ended with a sprinter’s victory, a large part of the day belonged to Baptiste Veistroffer of Lotto Intermarché. According to the official Tour de France report, the French cyclist attacked immediately at kilometre zero and set off alone, without the company of other escapees. His attack turned into a 144-kilometre solo ride, one of the more striking individual actions in the first week of the race. The organizer states that Veistroffer was therefore named the most combative rider of the day, although the realistic chances of outwitting the sprint teams on his own were not great.
From the start, the peloton clearly showed that it did not intend to allow too large an advantage. According to the official report, Alpecin-Premier Tech, working for Jasper Philipsen, and Soudal Quick-Step, focused on Tim Merlier, kept Veistroffer’s maximum advantage at 3 minutes and 40 seconds around kilometre 21. Such a gap was enough for the breakaway to gain television and tactical visibility, but not large enough for the sprinters to lose control of the stage. In the final third of the section, the pace in the main group gradually increased, and the gap narrowed as the route approached Pau and the day’s only categorized climb.
According to the organizers’ official data, Veistroffer was first through the intermediate sprint in Vic-en-Bigorre at kilometre 113.5 and over the Côte de Baleix at kilometre 132.7. In that way, he extracted maximum visibility from his solitary action, but the peloton was already within a minute at that point. The organizer states that attempts by Valentin Paret-Peintre, Kasper Asgreen, and Fred Wright were subsequently neutralized as well, and Veistroffer was caught 14.5 kilometres before the finish. From that moment, the stage completely returned under the control of the teams that wanted a sprint, although it turned out that control would not also mean a calm run-in to the finish.
Torstein Træen remained in the lead, favourites without major changes
In the general classification, according to the official Tour de France report, Torstein Træen of Uno-X Mobility kept the yellow jersey after the first stage he spent as race leader. The Norwegian was slowed in the finale and finished 14 seconds behind Kooij, in a group that also included Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates XRG and Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Given that the main candidates for the general classification finished together, the stage did not bring a significant change in the balance among the favourites. According to race reports, Træen remained ahead of Sean Quinn and Mathias Vacek in the general classification after Pau.
Træen’s yellow jersey is one of the more important stories of the first week of the 2026 Tour. According to reports from specialized cycling media, the Uno-X Mobility rider took the lead after the fourth stage toward Foix, when a large breakaway overturned the standings and left the main favourites with a deficit of almost eight minutes. The Guardian and CyclingNews reported that Træen, who earlier in his career returned after a testicular cancer diagnosis in 2022, became one of the symbols of the race’s surprising opening with that stage. The fifth stage in Pau was not terrain on which he was expected to lose the jersey, but the chaotic finish showed how risky even flat sections can be for leading riders.
Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel did not get an opportunity for a direct showdown in Pau, but their presence in the group that arrived 14 seconds after the winner shows that the favourites spent the day with an emphasis on safety rather than attack. The official stage classification records Pogačar in 21st place, Evenepoel in 22nd, and Vingegaard in 53rd, all with the same stage time of 3:29:21. In the context of a Grand Tour, such an outcome is not dramatic, but it confirms that crashes and position in the peloton are just as important as form, especially as the race moves toward the first major mountain tests.
Pau again at the centre of the Tour
Pau has a special place in the history of the Tour de France, and this year’s arrival further confirmed the city’s role as one of the race’s traditional points at the foot of the Pyrenees. According to the Tour’s official report, the finish of the fifth stage was the 64th Tour de France arrival in Pau, while the stage previews emphasized that the city is one of the most frequent destinations in the race’s history. Located in southwestern France, Pau is often used as an entry or exit point for Pyrenean stages, so a sprint day in that city rarely stands alone: it is almost always also an introduction to a harder mountain block.
That was precisely the case in 2026. According to the organizers’ official schedule, the stage after Pau heads toward Gavarnie-Gèdre, is 186.2 kilometres long, and has 4,100 metres of positive elevation gain. The organizer also announced the climb of the Col du Tourmalet, one of the most famous names in the history of the Tour de France. For that reason, the fifth stage had a dual function: it offered sprinters a rare opportunity for victory, and it gave general classification riders the chance to save energy before a much more demanding day. The chaos in the finale nevertheless reminded everyone that there are no completely calm stages at the Tour.
For sprinters, Pau was especially important because the race schedule does not offer daily opportunities for a clean final showdown. After the first stages in Spain and the entry into France, the peloton had already been confronted with high temperatures, hilly profiles, and tactical twists. In its preview of the fifth stage, CyclingNews pointed out that the section toward Pau was the first clear opportunity for the fastest riders in the first week, with an intermediate sprint in Vic-en-Bigorre and a short, steep climb in the finale. The final outcome confirmed that assessment, but also showed that a sprint in a Grand Tour rarely develops according to the ideal scenario that teams draw up before the start.
Crashes, heat, and the fight for position increased nervousness
The finale of the fifth stage fitted into the broader pattern of the first week of the 2026 Tour, in which weather conditions, speed, and tactical tension left a strong mark on the race. The Guardian reported that the stage took place amid continuing intense heat, while the day before, media recorded extreme temperatures during the fourth stage. In such an environment, recovery, hydration, and energy management become just as important as classic tactics. Although the fifth stage was not among the hardest by profile, a long ride at high speed and nervousness in the finale increased the burden on all teams.
Crashes in the final kilometres additionally opened the question of safety in sprint finishes. According to the official Tour report, two accidents disrupted the final outcome, and one occurred around six kilometres before the finish. At such a moment, the peloton is moving at high speed, teams are trying to take front positions, and the margin for correcting an error becomes minimal. The consequences can be seen in the standings: the first 19 riders finished in the winner’s time, while Pogačar, Evenepoel, Vingegaard, and Træen arrived in a group 14 seconds behind. Such gaps look small on paper, but in the first week of the Tour they can affect the sense of control and the stress level among the favourites.
For Kooij, that context made the victory even more convincing. Sprinters often depend on the precision of the entire team, but finishes like the one in Pau reward riders who know how to improvise when the plan no longer applies. Kanter’s second place was also one of the more notable surprises of the day, while Merlier, one of the most experienced sprinters in the peloton, had to accept third place. Philipsen, who before the stage had been among the most frequently mentioned favourites, finished fifth, confirming how unpredictable the finale was.
What the victory means for the continuation of the race
Kooij’s victory changes the dynamics of the sprint part of the Tour because, already after the first major opportunity, it places Decathlon CMA CGM Team among the teams that have a stage result and added confidence. According to the official start list, Kooij is part of the French team’s squad that also includes Paul Seixas, so the team combines ambitions in stage finishes and in the broader standings of young and climbing riders at the Tour. Such a team structure allows for different tactical options, but the victory in Pau means that one of the main goals has already been fulfilled in the first week.
For the other sprinters, defeat in Pau does not mean the end of opportunities, but it increases the pressure. According to the official schedule, the 2026 Tour de France runs from July 4 to July 26, with the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but between Pau and Paris lie the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Alps, and a series of stages that do not suit everyone. Every missed flat opportunity is therefore important, especially for riders whose success is measured by stage victories, the green jersey, or collecting points at finishes and intermediate sprints. Mads Pedersen defended his lead in the points classification in Pau, but Kooij showed that the fight for the top of the sprint hierarchy will remain open.
For general classification riders, the focus immediately shifted toward the mountains after Pau. According to the Tour’s official programme, the sixth stage from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre brings 4,100 metres of climbing and the Col du Tourmalet, which is sufficiently difficult terrain to rearrange the balance among the favourites again. Træen enters that day in the yellow jersey, but with the clear awareness that defending the lead will be incomparably more demanding than in the sprint stage. Pau was therefore both the end of the first sprint story of this Tour and the introduction to a much more serious test for everyone aiming for a high placing in the general classification.
Sources:
- Tour de France / A.S.O. – official report of the fifth stage, description of Baptiste Veistroffer’s breakaway, the finish in Pau, Olav Kooij’s victory, and Torstein Træen’s status in the yellow jersey (link)
- Tour de France / A.S.O. – official classification of the fifth stage, ranking of the leading riders, times, bonuses, and total length of the Lannemezan - Pau stage (link)
- Tour de France / A.S.O. – official profile and route data of the fifth stage, including length, stage type, elevation gain, intermediate sprint, and Côte de Baleix (link)
- The Guardian – report on Olav Kooij’s victory, the situation in the general classification, Torstein Træen keeping the yellow jersey, and the race circumstances in hot conditions (link)
- CyclingNews – preview of the fifth stage with context on the Lannemezan - Pau profile, sprint expectations, the intermediate sprint, and Pau’s position in the race schedule (link)