With three-quarters of the Arctic Race of Norway over and done with, and just the hilly final stage in Trondheim left to race, Israel-Premier Tech enjoy three men within striking distance of the race lead – not to mention a very valuable potential UCI points haul.
Following the queen stage to Skallstuggu on Saturday, which saw Hugo Houle and Carl Frederik Hagen take third and fifth places, respectively, the pair now occupy third and seventh on GC, with Krists Neilands further back in 12th place.
The team is currently part of a big battle to make it into the top 18 places on the UCI team ranking and secure a WorldTour spot for 2023 – or, failing that, to be among the top two ProTeams next year. Should they retain their Arctic Race GC placings on Sunday, the team looks set for a valuable 205-point haul.
“Everybody did well today,” said Nicki Sörensen, the team’s directeur sportif, after the stage, which saw Israel-Premier Tech lead the way into the final 5.4km climb.
“We made a plan last night and they all did their part today. Cole [Kessler] was the first one to work before Sebastian [Berwick] took over to set a hard pace leading into the climb. Simon [Clarke] did the last part and then our three GC guys all did well on the final climb.”
“The goal for today was not only to go for a result on the stage, but also to keep three guys in the mix for the GC ahead of tomorrow’s stage, which may be even harder than the stage today. We managed to do that and I’m very happy with the way everybody performed today. Great work all around!”
Houle is the best-placed of the team’s three riders on GC heading into stage 4, the Canadian Tour de France stage winner lying nine seconds down on stage 3 winner and race leader Victor Lafay (Cofidis).
He said earlier in the race that the team would be looking to race aggressively, as they had at the Tour when he and Simon Clarke delivered a pair of stage wins, rather than thinking specifically about UCI points.
“Everyone is aware of the situation,” Houle said. “It’s important that we perform to our level, and I think we cannot change the way we race. We have what we have in the legs and that’s what is the most important.
“Of course, we see it getting more and more coverage in the press but on my side I still focus on what I can do. The idea is to try to win the race and points will come with it.”
Houle, who will race the GPs Québec and Montréal as well as European Classics to end the season, said that the team will be looking for…
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