Hundreds turn out in Wrexham to see Olav Kooij clinch second stage win in Tour of Britain
Large crowds turned out in Wrexham this morning to watch a thrilling display of cycling prowess as the Tour of Britain swept onto the city streets for the first time in nearly a decade.
The day’s race began with 95 riders embarking on a 109.9-kilometre loop from Chester Street in Wrexham. The route took them into Cheshire before returning to Wrexham city centre.
Dutch prodigy, Olav Kooij, made history by becoming the first cyclist in four years to clinch consecutive stage victories in the tour, with his win in Wrexham.
Kooij’s success was facilitated by a flawless lead-out from his Jumbo-Visma team. However, BORA-hansgrohe’s Danny van Poppel managed to edge out Wout van Aert for second place, preventing Jumbo-Visma from achieving consecutive one-two finishes.
The victory sees Kooij following in the tracks of Mathieu van der Poel, who clinched wins on the last two days of the 2019 race. With this win, Kooij also retains his position as the overall race leader as the tour heads into its third stage in East Riding of Yorkshire on Tuesday.
Reflecting on his team’s strategy, Kooij remarked, “We went again for another win today. We took control and tried to catch the break, which required a significant effort from two of our team members. We’re really pleased with the outcome and are optimistic about the stages ahead.”
The Race
A trio of riders, Jacob Scott, Abram Stockman, and Finn Crockett, quickly established a lead, with Callum Ormiston joining them shortly after.
However, the main group kept a close watch on this breakaway, maintaining a gap of around 30 seconds for most of the stage. As the race progressed, the breakaway group faced challenges, with only Stockman and Crockett remaining ahead before being caught by the peloton with just over 12 kilometres to go.
The final kilometres saw Jumbo-Visma’s Edoardo Affini setting a rapid pace, with 2021 Tour of Britain champion van Aert closely following. Van Aert then expertly positioned Kooij to initiate his sprint, propelling him to victory just 100 metres from the finish line.
With this win, Kooij not only celebrates his back-to-back victories but also retains his lead in the cottages.com points and the Sportive Breaks best young rider classifications.
The Tour of Britain continues to promise exhilarating action as the riders gear up for the upcoming stages.
Stages
Stage one Sunday 3 September Altrincham to Manchester
Stage two Monday 4 September Wrexham to Wrexham
Stage three Tuesday 5 September Goole to Beverley
Stage four Wednesday 6 September Sherwood Forest to Newark-on-Trent
Stage five Thursday 7 September Felixstowe to Felixstowe
Stage six Friday 8 September Southend-on-Sea to Harlow
Stage seven Saturday 9 September Tewkesbury to Gloucester
Stage eight Sunday 10 September Margam Country Park to Caerphilly
[Phtos: SWpix.com]
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