Kooij Edges Merlier And Philipsen In A Blanket Aarschot Sprint As The Break Is Caught Inside The Final Kilometre
Olav Kooij won a thrilling photo finish in Aarschot to take Stage 4 of the Baloise Belgium Tour, edging home favourite Tim Merlier by the narrowest of margins after a chaotic, breakaway-laced finale. Jasper Philipsen completed the podium in third as the three biggest names in Belgian sprinting were separated by inches on the line.
It was a brutally hot afternoon, with temperatures touching 35°C as the peloton tackled four laps of a rolling 43km circuit out of Begijnendijk. The heat and the lumpy finishing loop emboldened the attackers, and for much of the closing phase it looked as though a stubborn breakaway might deny the fast men. The sprinters' teams left their effort late, hauling the move back only inside the final kilometre.
That set up a frantic dash to the line, where positioning was everything. Merlier looked to have timed his sprint perfectly for Soudal Quick-Step, but Kooij found a sliver of road on the other side of the road and threw his bike to snatch the win in a finish too close to call without the photo. For Merlier it was a frustrating near miss after a week in which he had already collected multiple victories.
Philipsen, riding for Alpecin-Premier Tech, was right on their wheels in third, underlining how tight the sprinting hierarchy has become as the Tour de France approaches. The stage was always expected to favour the pure sprinters after the previous day's hilly queen stage in Durbuy, and so it proved once the day's escapees were finally reeled in.
The general classification stayed largely intact. Alex Aranburu retained the overall lead he seized with his victory on the Durbuy queen stage, holding his advantage through the bunch finish to carry the leader's jersey into the final day. With the GC contenders content to follow wheels, the sprint trains were left to fight out the stage among themselves.
Attention now turns to the closing stage to Hoeilaart, where Aranburu will look to defend his lead on a finale that could yet tempt the puncheurs. For Kooij, the win is a timely confidence boost and another reminder of his closing speed, while Merlier and Philipsen will both be eager for one more chance to settle the score before they swap the Belgian roads for the Grand Départ.