Kooij can also do it as a lead-out: Dutchman pilots Brennan (20) to 12th professional victory

On days one and two, Kooij was unbeatable, winning twice despite the lack of a good lead-out. The Dutchman thus started the third stage, which covered 122 kilometers from Milton Keynes to Ampthill, with a 14-second lead over his closest rival, Tom Crabbé (Flanders Baloise).

Bauke Mollema, riding for Lidl-Trek, crashed on Wednesday, as did his INEOS teammate Thymen Arensman, but he was the first to attack the next day. It turned out to be the start of a somewhat turbulent opening phase, with rain, attempts by Matteo Trentin and others, and a crash involving Brits Josh Carlton and Ben Wiggins.

After ten kilometers, it was decided that enough was enough, and a group consisting of Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step), Robin Froidevaux (Tudor), Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pharma), and Ben Chilton was given a free pass. Visma | Lease a Bike immediately jumped at the chance to regulate the lead of this quartet.

As a result, the race continued at a steady pace, with the breakaway riders having little to no chance of winning the stage. Twelve kilometers from the finish, they were caught by the front of the leading group, where a sudden split occurred. A group including Remco Evenepoel pulled away, but ultimately did not last long either.

Then it was up to the sprinter teams, with Visma staying out of the action for quite a while on the narrow British roads. The Dutch team had a lot of trouble reaching the front of the peloton, but managed to do so with 1.5 kilometers to go. Kooij got caught up for a moment, but Edoardo Affini set him up nicely.

In the end, Unibet Tietema Rockets took the lead in the final kilometer, but Affini came back with Kooij and Brennan in his wake. They entered the final corner in second and third position, and from that moment on, it was easy to take the victory, this time with Brennan.