Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 – Stage 1 [FULL STAGE]

August 12, 2021

Ladies Tour of Norway 2021 – Stage 1 – Dunkerque – Iwuy : 197,1 km

Falling in August, the Ladies Tour of Norway has kickstarted the latter half of the racing season ever since it was first added to the calendar in 2014. In 2017 it was upgraded to the Women’s WorldTour and has gone from strength to strength ever since. This year’s race will follow a slightly different format, with four road stages instead of three. It’ll also be the first edition in the race’s short history to feature a mountaintop stage finish – on day three the riders will tackle the punishing, 10km-long ascent to the Norefjell ski resort.

Kristen Faulkner (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) has won stage 1 of the Ladies Tour of Norway, taking the first UCI Women’s WorldTour victory of her career.

The 28-year-old was part of a breakaway of five riders that got away with 100 kilometres to go, and on the finishing laps, Faulkner went solo and held off the peloton, crossing the line just a bike length ahead of Susanne Andersen (Team DSM) and Alice Barnes (Canyon-SRAM) who sprinted to second and third.

Due to time bonifications, Faulkner leads the general classification by four seconds on Andersen and six seconds on Barnes.

“It was really close! I didn’t know how far they were behind, but it didn’t matter because I was going all-out. I knew the gap was one minute with two laps to go and 30 seconds with one lap to go, and I was like, ‘with this pace, they’ll catch me at the line, so I have to pick it up!’

“This is my first WorldTour win, so it is the biggest win of my career, and it was with a lot of support from my teammates,” said Faulkner who only started racing professionally in September 2020.

“We thought it would be a bunch sprint at the finish, so my director told me to get in a break and go for the QOMs. The break stuck, and in the end, when the break blew up, I had a little bit left in me, so I gave it what I could. I am normally not good in technical finishes, so this was my only chance, and I went for it. I only started to believe in the win about two metres from the finish line,” Faulkner laughed.

How it unfolded

The first stage started in Halden, the hometown of the Ladies Tour of Norway, and took the peloton inland from the coast over the rolling hills of Østfold before finishing in the coastal town of Sarpsborg where three laps of a 6.7-kilometre finishing circuit brought the total distance to 141.5 kilometres.

Anna Christian (Drops-Le Col s/b Tempur), Natalie van Gogh (Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire), and Nina Buysman (Parkhotel Valkenburg) got away soon after the first intermediate sprint 31 km into the race and were joined by Faulkner and Tiril Jørgensen (Norway). The five escapees built an advantage of up to 4:30 minutes, and Ann Helen Olsen (Team Coop-Hitec Products) went off the front of the peloton in the second half of the race.

As they neared the finishing circuit, the peloton reeled in Olsen and continued to reduce the gap to the break which fell apart on the first time up the rising finishing straight. Faulkner left her breakmates behind and entered the three laps with a 20-second gap on the peloton.

Faulkner increased her advantage again to a minute with two laps to go and had 30 seconds left as she started the final lap. In the peloton, there was a crash with two kilometres to go that took down several riders, a.o. Marta Cavalli (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope), Leah Thomas (Movistar Team), Mikayla Harvey (Canyon-SRAM), Elena Cecchini, and Christine Majerus (both Team SD Worx).

Faulkner continued undeterred and held off Andersen by one bikelength to win the stage and take the overall lead. Buysman will wear the QOM jersey on stage 2.

Results :
1 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 3:38:15
2 Susanne Andersen (Nor) Team DSM
3 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
4 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
5 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
6 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
7 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
8 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Team SD Worx
9 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
10 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
11 Sanne Cant (Bel) Plantur-Pura
12 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
13 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
14 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
15 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
16 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
17 Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
18 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
19 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
20 Nancy van der Berg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
21 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
22 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
23 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx
24 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
25 Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura
26 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
27 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
28 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
29 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
30 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
31 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
32 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx
33 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing
34 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
35 Anne Dorthe Ysland (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
36 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
37 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
38 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Parkhotel Valkenburg
39 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
40 Vita Heine (Nor) Norway National Team
41 Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Norway National Team
42 Urska Pintar (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
43 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
44 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
45 Annemarie Worst (Ned) Plantur-Pura
46 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
47 Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
48 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
49 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
50 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
51 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing
52 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
53 Julie De Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
54 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
55 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
56 Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Norway National Team
57 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
58 Elise Marie Olsen (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
59 Birgitte Andersen Nilssen (Nor) Norway National Team
60 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
61 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
62 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
63 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
64 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange 0:00:40
65 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
66 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:00:48
67 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:00:52
68 Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:00:59
69 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:12
70 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:01:24
71 Wilma Olausson (Swe) Team DSM
72 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:01:54
73 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
74 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
75 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:08
76 Demi De Jong (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
77 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women
78 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM
79 Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Plantur-Pura 0:02:26
80 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
81 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
82 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:02:35
83 Sara Penton (Swe) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
84 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
85 Rossella Ratto (Ita) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
86 Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:02:39
87 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:02:51
88 Claudia Jongerius (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
89 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
90 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange
91 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
92 Manon Bakker (Ned) Plantur-Pura 0:02:51
93 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
94 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
95 Ann Helen Olsen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:04:48
96 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
97 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
98 Tiril Jørgensen (Nor) Norway National Team 0:05:43
99 Magdalene Lind (Nor) Norway National Team
100 Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:05:57
101 Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek-Segafredo 0:06:02
102 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
103 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women
DNF Maria Van ‘T Geloof (Ned) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur

General Classification after Stage 1 :
1 Kristen Faulkner (USA) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank 3:38:05
2 Susanne Andersen (Nor) Team DSM 0:00:04
3 Alice Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:00:06
4 Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Den) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope 0:00:10
5 Femke Markus (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
6 Lucinda Brand (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
7 Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar Team Women
8 Roxane Fournier (Fra) Team SD Worx
9 Barbara Guarischi (Ita) Movistar Team Women
10 Sofia Bertizzolo (Ita) Liv Racing
11 Sanne Cant (Bel) Plantur-Pura
12 Ilaria Sanguineti (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
13 Stine Borgli (Nor) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
14 Sarah Roy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
15 Elise Chabbey (Swi) Canyon-SRAM Racing
16 Juliette Labous (Fra) Team DSM
17 Emilie Moberg (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
18 Mavi Garcia (Spa) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
19 Joscelin Lowden (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
20 Nancy van der Berg (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
21 Ingvild Gåskjenn (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
22 Floortje Mackaij (Ned) Team DSM
23 Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) Team SD Worx
24 Janneke Ensing (Ned) Team BikeExchange
25 Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Plantur-Pura
26 Marlen Reusser (Swi) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
27 Anna Shackley (GBr) Team SD Worx
28 Anouska Koster (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
29 Mischa Bredewold (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
30 Riejanne Markus (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
31 Shirin van Anrooij (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
32 Niamh Fisher-Black (NZl) Team SD Worx
33 Alison Jackson (Can) Liv Racing
34 Eugénie Duval (Fra) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
35 Anne Dorthe Ysland (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
36 Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
37 Anna Henderson (GBr) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
38 Rachel Neylan (Aus) Parkhotel Valkenburg
39 Pien Limpens (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
40 Vita Heine (Nor) Norway National Team
41 Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Nor) Norway National Team
42 Urska Pintar (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
43 Eugenia Bujak (Slo) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
44 Silvia Persico (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
45 Annemarie Worst (Ned) Plantur-Pura
46 Ella Harris (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
47 Tanja Erath (Ger) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
48 Sophie Wright (GBr) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
49 Amber Kraak (Ned) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
50 Brodie Chapman (Aus) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
51 Sabrina Stultiens (Ned) Liv Racing
52 Tatiana Guderzo (Ita) Ale’ BTC Ljubljana
53 Julie De Wilde (Bel) Plantur-Pura
54 Julie Van De Velde (Bel) Jumbo-Visma Women Team
55 Rotem Gafinovitz (Isr) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
56 Ingrid Lorvik (Nor) Norway National Team
57 Eri Yonamine (Jpn) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
58 Elise Marie Olsen (Nor) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
59 Birgitte Andersen Nilssen (Nor) Norway National Team
60 Hannah Barnes (GBr) Canyon-SRAM Racing
61 Lucy Kennedy (Aus) Team BikeExchange
62 Chiara Consonni (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
63 Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service
64 Marta Cavalli (Ita) FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope
65 Leah Thomas (USA) Movistar Team Women
66 Coryn Rivera (USA) Team DSM
67 Mikayla Harvey (NZl) Canyon-SRAM Racing
68 Elena Cecchini (Ita) Team SD Worx
69 Audrey Cordon Ragot (Fra) Trek-Segafredo
70 Christine Majerus (Lux) Team SD Worx
71 Jeanne Korevaar (Ned) Liv Racing
72 Urska Zigart (Slo) Team BikeExchange 0:00:50
73 Sheyla Gutierrez Ruiz (Spa) Movistar Team Women
74 Aude Biannic (Fra) Movistar Team Women 0:00:58
75 Alexis Ryan (USA) Canyon-SRAM Racing 0:01:02
76 Silvia Pollicini (Ita) Valcar-Travel & Service 0:01:09
77 Femke Gerritse (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg 0:01:22
78 Liane Lippert (Ger) Team DSM 0:01:34
79 Wilma Olausson (Swe) Team DSM
80 Caroline Andersson (Swe) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:02:04
81 Mari Hole Mohr (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
82 Chloe Hosking (Aus) Trek-Segafredo 0:02:18
83 Demi De Jong (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
84 Inge van der Heijden (Ned) Plantur-Pura 0:02:36
85 Diana Carolina Peñuela Martinez (Col) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
86 Nina Kessler (Ned) Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank
87 Anna Christian (GBr) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur 0:02:45
88 Sara Penton (Swe) Drops-le Col Supported by Tempur
89 Amalie Lutro (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products
90 Rossella Ratto (Ita) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
91 Justine Ghekiere (Bel) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:02:49
92 Evy Kuijpers (Ned) Liv Racing 0:03:01
93 Claudia Jongerius (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire
94 Nina Buijsman (Ned) Parkhotel Valkenburg
95 Jessica Allen (Aus) Team BikeExchange
96 Manon Bakker (Ned) Plantur-Pura
97 Ann Helen Olsen (Nor) Team Coop Hitec Products 0:04:58
98 Tiril Jørgensen (Nor) Norway National Team 0:05:53
99 Magdalene Lind (Nor) Norway National Team
100 Natalie van Gogh (Ned) Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire 0:06:07
101 Elynor Backstedt (GBr) Trek-Segafredo 0:06:12
102 Trixi Worrack (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
103 Gloria Rodriguez Sanchez (Spa) Movistar Team Women