Dutch rider Olav Kooij sprinted to victory in the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, while Norwegian Torstein Traeen retained the yellow jersey despite a chaotic day featuring a late crash in the peloton.

The stage, characterized by a more relaxed pace for most riders, saw Jonas Vingegaard finish on teammate Victor Campenaerts' bike after the crash, which also involved defending champion Tadej Pogacar.

Kooij's success came thanks to strong teamwork from his Decathlon CMA CGM squad, allowing him to outpace Max Kanter from Germany and Tim Merlier from Belgium in a thrilling finish. All three completed the 158.3-kilometre route from Lannemezan to Pau in just under three and a half hours.

Kooij expressed his excitement:

After a couple of hard days here, I had to wait for this day to get (a) first chance to sprint in the Tour and to immediately win is unbelievable. It was quite an easy day until the final (moments), when you know it will be hectic. Everyone is still really eager and I just managed to find my way.

This marks Kooij's first stage win in the Tour, though he has previously triumphed in three stages at the Giro d’Italia. Traeen crossed the finish line 14 seconds later, leading a large group that included Pogacar and Vingegaard, who now trail him by about eight minutes overall. Despite wearing the yellow jersey, Traeen is not seen as a serious contender for the overall title.

After a challenging team time trial, an early mountain stage, and extreme heat reaching 38C, riders welcomed the flatter terrain of Stage Five, which favored sprinters and allowed key players to conserve energy for the upcoming stages.