Five stages into the 2026 Tour de France and it was finally time for sprinters to enter the fray on Wednesday before the race hits the high Pyrenees.
It was Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM) who took the honours after taking off at the perfect time to finish ahead of Max Kanter (XDS Astana) in second and third-place Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step) after a 158.3km ride from Lannemezan to Pau.
There were no changes in the general classification (GC) as Torstein Traeen (Uno-X Mobility) maintained his 28 second advantage over second-placed Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost) with Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) third, three minutes 50 seconds behind the Norwegian leader
“After a couple hard days here already, we had to wait to this day to get this first chance to sprint in the Tour, and yeah, to immediately win is unbelievable,” said Dutch rider Kooij after his first Tour stage win. “It means quite a lot.
“Just in general, I had a pretty tough spring, and I think just to get back to this level and to keep believing and in yourself, and just a few people who believe in you as well, is all you need.
“To be here with support of the team today was all I could ask for, and yeah, they did a great job, but it was pretty hectic. It was quite an easy day until the final, so then you know it will be hectic. And this first sprint in the Tour, everyone is still really eager.
“I just managed to find my way a bit on my own in the end, but I found the right wheel, and I just wanted to have the chance to sprint today, and when I saw the line, I just went as hard as I could.”
There was no change in the GC for UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar who remains in fourth place, level timewise with his Visma-Lease a Bike rival Jonas Vingegaard.
The reigning champion had lost the yellow jersey after Tuesday's draining Stage 4 that had seen temperatures reached 40°C in southern France, and finished a hefty 7 mins 53 secs behind Traeen.
“We kept it cool in this heat. It was really when we started, I had a full headache and was thinking this is going to be one long day,” Pogacar told Cycling News after the stage when he also suggested that not wearing the yellow jersey can sometimes be a bonus.
“I think you cannot measure [the benefits]: some days probably, it's a lot of stress with media, some days it's easy to do it. It just depends on the day, and it's hard to tell.
“I've been back on the podium a lot of times and a lot of times doing the extra work. Today will be one and a half hours less obligation, so it definitely helps with the recovery.
“But I think now I'm pretty used to also doing all the podium stuff and we have a good protocol. I have good helpers and people to help me stay cool and calm and recover as best as possible, even when we have the podium.”
Friday's Stage 6 takes the riders back to into the Pyrenees, with a 186.2km mountain run from Pau to the summit finish at Gavarnie-Gedre.
Stage 5 results
1. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) 3:29:07
2. Max Kanter (XDS Astana Team) ”
3. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) ”
4. Huub Artz (Ned) Lotto Intermarche ”
5. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin – Premier Tech ”
*With another 12 riders at same time
General classification
1. Torstein Traeen (Uno-X Mobility) 13 hrs 2 mins 46 seconds
2. Sean Quinn (Easypost) +28secs
3. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) +3mins 50 secs
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +7mins 53 secs
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) ”
