Tinkoff lines up this week at the four-day Arctic Race of Norway with an opportunistic team led by fast-finisher Oscar Gatto who comes to the race looking for stage wins after completing the first Tour de France of his career. Oscar will be looking to put the strength gained from the Grand Tour to good use in this fast-paced race.
The Italian will be joined by a young team, with Jay McCarthy adding more fire-power to the line-up here, as well as Michael Kolar and Slovakian road champion Juraj Sagan. The team is then completed by the experienced Yuri Trofimov and fellow Russian, Nikolay Trusov.
“Oscar Gatto will be our leader with the goal of a stage win,” explained Sport Director Bruno Cenghialta ahead of the race. “In my opinion, Oscar is right now the rider of the squad with the best form and legs that suit the very fast profile of the race. Jay McCarthy is also a fast rider, as are some others of our team, and as a result, our strategy will be to seek stage wins. We will use all our riders and adapt our strategy on a day-by-day basis to win at least a stage.
“Taking place in the vicinity of the Arctic Circle, the race is inherently difficult but its profile isn’t a hard one. All our riders are used to tougher climbs and going from sea level to 550 meters with an average gradient of 4-5% is something they tackle nearly every day. These climbs aren’t the Col du Tourmalet and what can make the race difficult to manage will be its very fast pace. As a result, our strategy will be to use the breakaways when they take place or create them ourselves.”
The race gets underway with a steady opening stage that features three classified climbs, the latter of which crests with only 18.5km to race. Depending on the race situation, this climb could play a part in deciding the first race leader in Norway. The second stage suits the sprinters, before a tough uphill finish on stage 3 on the climb of Korgfjellet. The race then ends with a rolling final stage, coming to a close in the town of Bodø, situated just north of the Arctic Circle.
Looking to the various stages, and where the team can target, Cenghialta said: “In what regards the four stages, one could single out the third one as the queen stage, with a summit finish. The GC could be decided there but the differences will always be very small, no more than a few seconds. We will try there to see whether Oscar and Jay have the legs to be with the leaders. As I said, in these climbs Oscar can also be competitive and we could eventually try to make a move for the GC, but our primary goal in the race will remain to win a stage.”
The Race
Stage 1: Fauske – Rognan, 180.5km
The opening stage of the 2016 Arctic Race of Norway features a rolling route that will test the legs with three categorised climbs, the last of which runs for 8.7km, with a gradual average gradient of 3.5%. The Ljøsenhammeren climb will summit with 18.5km to race, and together with the long descent that follows could spark the attacks that decide the stage.
Stage 2: Mo I Rana – Sandnessjøen, 198.5km
The second stage of the race is a much steadier affair with the day’s main climb coming in the first 45km, meaning a break will probably already be clear to nullify the fireworks. Two short hills in the final 25km are the only difficulties for the fast finishers who are sure to have a good chance today.
Stage 3: Nesna – Korgfjellet, 160km
The third day in Norway sees the Queen stage of the race, despite being the shortest. Three second category climbs are covered in the first 90km, before a rolling profile to the base of the day’s final climb to the line. The Korgfjellet ascent lasts for 8.9km and with an average gradient of 6.4% it will definitely be enough to pull the climbers out from the field.
Stage 4: Arctic Circle – Bodø, 193km
Starting at 680m altitude, the fourth and final stage gets underway with a long descent that doesn’t really flatten out until nearly 50km in. The route then climbs back up for the Ljøsenhammeren, as covered on the first day, before a rolling profile to the finishing circuits around Bodø where the 2016 Tour of Norway champion will be crowned.
