The four-day Arctic Race of Norway kicks off on Thursday, this year’s ninth edition the first to avoid a visit to the Arctic Circle, rendering the name somewhat irrelevant.
After three runner-up spots for home riders in the past four editions of the race, there will be hope that a Norwegian can take overall glory following Thor Hushovd’s triumph at the inaugural edition in 2013.
Uno-X talent, champion of last year’s Tour de l’Avenir Tobias Halland Johannessen is possibly the man most likely, the 22-year-old having won the youth classification and finished 10th overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné back in June.
Andreas Leknessund (Team DSM) is another youthful home talent who broke through with a stage win at the Tour de Suisse earlier this summer. Israel-Premier Tech’s Carl Frederik Hagen can’t be counted out either, despite not yet replicating his top 10 at the 2019 Vuelta a España.
Kristian Asvold returns with Human Powered Health, having delivered a fifth place for Team Coop last time around. Cofidis rider Victor Lafay, meanwhile, stood third on the final podium in 2021 and will be hoping to go two better this year.
Quinten Hermans, who’s riding out his last few months with Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert before a move to Alpecin-Deceuninck for 2023, could be another to watch, as could TotalEnergies veteran Víctor de la Parte.
For the sprints, Tour de France stage winner Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) is the stand-out name as the Dutchman looks to build up to late-season goals, including the Bemer Cyclassics in Hamburg.
He’ll face competition from Amaury Capiot (Arkéa-Samsic), Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies), Cees Bol (Team DSM), Kristian Sbaragli (Alpecin-Deceuninck), and Matteo Malucelli (China Glory), with Friday’s stage 2 likely to be the only nailed-on sprint of the race.
Other major names taking the start in Mo i Rana on Thursday include Israel-Premier Tech’s Tour de France stage winning pairing of Hugo Houle and Simon Clarke, with the team searching for results – and UCI points. Breakaway specialist Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) is another rider who should enjoy the hills of northern Norway.
Elsewhere, there are more young talents to keep an eye on – 21-year-old Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samsic), 22-year-old Kevin Colleoni (BikeExchange-Jayco), and 22-year-old Henri Vandenabeele (Team DSM) among them.
British Continental squad Trinity Racing are also in Norway, with Jumbo-Visma-bound Thomas Gloag and future BikeExchange…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CyclingNews RSS Feed…