Renewi Tour, Jonathan Milan Wins the Opening Stage: Kooij Beaten in a Photo-Finish Sprint

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) claimed victory on the opening stage of the 2026 Renewi Tour, prevailing in a bunch sprint decided by a photo finish in Diest. The Italian rider covered the 191.3 km in 4:04:18, edging out Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) by a whisker on a day marked by constant rain and a chaotic finale. The Race The inaugural stage, held around Diest in Belgium, featured five ascents of the Grasbos climb, nicknamed "the Poggio of Diest." The adverse weather conditions and the high pace imposed by the rivals on the final climb fragmented the peloton, forcing Milan to make up ground before the race came back together. The day's breakaway, made up of five riders, was caught within the final kilometer. Milan launched his sprint roughly 200 meters from the line, holding off the comeback of Kooij, who came out of his slipstream and nearly snatched the win with a final bike throw. The photo finish confirmed the success of the Lidl-Trek rider. "I wasn't sure I had won the sprint until the very last second. I started 200 meters from the finish and then tried to hold on, but Kooij was coming up really fast," Milan said at the end of the stage. Stage Result 1. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) — 4:04:18 2. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) — s.t. 3. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) — s.t. 4. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) — s.t. 5. Sam Bennett (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) — s.t. General Classification Thanks to his stage victory, Jonathan Milan is the first race leader with a time of 4:04:08, ahead of Olav Kooij and Dries De Bondt (Team Jayco AlUla), both 4 seconds back. The race continues tomorrow with a new stage, with the Lidl-Trek leader called upon to defend the leader's jersey.