Did Olav Kooij punch his Tour de France ticket with Baloise Belgium Tour stage 4 win?

After having postponed the start of his season due to a lingering virus, Olav Kooij claimed three victories in a short time, starting with two stage wins at Boucles de la Mayenne at the end of May, and then added the stage 4 win at Baloise Belgium Tour on Saturday.

Not only was the Decathlon CMA CGM rider the fastest in Belgium, but he also outsprinted Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) in a hectic finale.

“I assume I can also fight duels with those men in the Tour, that’s something to look forward to,” Kooij said in Dutch after winning Baloise Belgium Tour stage 4, according to a report in Wielerflits.

“This [victory] gives a lot of satisfaction. Especially after a missed start, it’s extra nice to return like this. I think we handled it well by first fully restoring and then rebuilding. The result is that I am now immediately returning to my old level.”

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In the chaotic finale, Kooij lost his teammates and had to surf wheels until he slotted behind Merlier and used the slipstream to take a photo-finish victory.

It is no secret that Kooij transferred from Visma-Lease a Bike to the French WorldTour team to get more opportunities to lead a sprint train at the Tour de France. But illness delayed that debut, and in the meantime, teammate Paul Seixas enjoyed a meteoric early season, earning himself a fast-tracked spot at the 2026 Tour.

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Whether the team decide to take Kooij remains to be seen, but either way, Seixas is bound to be the focal point of this squad.