Kooij wins back-to-back Tour of Britain stages with victory in Wrexham

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Olav Kooij has become the first rider in four years to win back-to-back stages of the Tour of Britain, after taking his second victory in as many days in Wrexham on Monday September 4.

The Dutchman, who rides for the Jumbo-Visma team, saw his Belgian teammate Wout van Aert finish third, while BORA-Hansgrohe’s Danny van Poppel finished second.

Kooij also won Sunday’s opening stage, which saw riders tackle the 163.6-kilometre route between Altrincham and Manchester.

Victory in Wrexham sees Kooij emulate what Mathieu van der Poel did on the final two days of the 2019 race, and also retains the overall race lead going into stage three in East Riding of Yorkshire on Tuesday September 5.

Ninety-five riders started the 109.9-kilometre clockwise loop from Chester Street in Wrexham under a blanket of 25°C heat, across the border into Cheshire and back to the start and finish line in Wrexham’s city centre.

Kooij said: “We went again for another win today – we took control and tried to catch the break which took a huge effort by two of our guys. We went into the last kilometre in a really good position again and were able to take the second win.

“We came here for stages and a possible GC bid with Wout, so we are really happy and hopefully we can continue like this. We’re looking day by day and there are a few more opportunities.

“We’ll see if we can control the other days or change it up a bit and see what we can do looking forward to GC so there’s plenty more chances to come, I guess.”

The Tour of Britain finishes in Caerphilly for the final stage on Sunday September 10.

Visit the Tour of Britain’s website for full results and standings.