"Really looking forward to that stage": Uijtdebroeks and Visma | Lease a Bike caution ahead of epic final day

In Poland, Kooij was hoping for his second stage win in the WorldTour race, but the 23-year-old Dutchman found the final of stage 4 too difficult. "We tried to do the sprint for Olav, and we did well during the day. We also hit the local laps in a fine position, but then everything turned very hectic," sports director Jesper Mørkøv analyzed in a press release.

Matthew Brennan finished last in the first group, but still among the leaders, albeit far behind stage winner Paul Magnier. Kooij let it go and finished half a minute behind the first group. “We lost each other before the sprint, and we didn’t have the right position in the last corner. Matthew and Olav were just a bit too far back. We shift our focus towards the remaining stages now,” said Mørkøv.

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In the Tour de l'Ain, Visma | Lease a Bike was again among the front runners, but Uijtdebroeks lost a sprinter's duel with Nicolas Prodhomme, although Ben Tulett (fourth) and Tijmen Graat (ninth) finished well in the chasing group. “We rode a really strong race as a team today,” said Uijtdebroeks, satisfied after the finish.

The 22-year-old Belgian is now two seconds behind Prodhomme, but will have a chance to take the overall victory on Friday's final stage over the Col de la Colombier. “The plan was to attack early to see if I could crack Prodhomme, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out. Still, I’m taking a positive feeling into tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Prodhomme will have his work cut out for him with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, because a fully recovered Uijtdebroeks is ready to go full throttle with Visma | Lease a Bike. “As a team, we’ll give it our all to bring home the overall win. My legs feel good, and the longer, tougher climbs tomorrow should suit me better. Hopefully, it will be a great day.”