It was an expected sprint finish that decided the final stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, and coming through with a fast finish for Tinkoff was Nikolay Trusov, taking a strong ninth place. After moving up to third with yesterday’s finish, Oscar secures his spot on the GC podium, taking third spot.
Despite being a stage that suited a sprint, the racing was never easy, getting off to a hard start with many riders trying to make the day’s move, and a fast pace on the first climb of the day saw riders put in difficulty and the race split.
The situation took some time to settle with the peloton eventually coming back together, after which a break of six riders pulled clear and set about building a few minutes’ advantage. Their lead never grew over two minutes but they put up a solid fight, trying to stay clear before finally getting caught within the last three kilometres.
Having helped bring the gap down, the Tinkoff jerseys were well up the front coming into the final kilometres, readying for the sprint and keeping Oscar out of trouble. As the sprint opened up in Bodø it was Nikolay who was up there for the team, taking a place in the top ten.
After the finish, Sport Director, Bruno Cenghialta, gave some insight into the day. “The Arctic Race of Norway concluded, as expected, with a very fast stage. I’m satisfied with the way the guys raced today and we managed to retain Oscar Gatto’s third overall, which was, of course, the main goal today. The bunch sprint was extremely fast and the other teams had brought their best sprinters, Degenkolb, Kristoff or Demare, and there wasn’t much more we could do.
“The overall assessment as well is positive and I think we can be happy with what we achieved in this race. The guys gave their best and Oscar’s podium place can be considered a very good result.”
Stage Result
1. John Degenkolb (GER) Team Giant-Alpecin 4:17:40
2. Alexander Kristoff (NOR) Katusha +00:00:00
3. Arnaud Démare (FRA) FDJ +00:00:00
4. Moreno Hofland (NED) Team LottoNL – Jumbo +00:00:00
5. Danny van Poppel (NED) Team Sky +00:00:00
9. Nikolay Trusov (RUS) Tinkoff +00:00:00
12. Oscar Gatto (ITA) Tinkoff +00:00:00
86. Juraj Sagan (SVK) TInkoff +00:00:37
87. Michael Kolar (SVK) Tinkoff +00:00:37
Final GC
1. Gianni Moscon (ITA) Team Sky 17:13:57
2. Stef Clement (NED) IAM Cycling +00:00:15
3. Oscar Gatto (ITA) Tinkoff +00:00:30
26. Nikolay Trusov (RUS) Tinkoff +00:02:02
57. Juraj Sagan (SVK) TInkoff +00:06:06
109. Michael Kolar (SVK) Tinkoff +00:17:34
