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May 26, 2022
Tour of Norway 2022 – Stage 3 – Gol – Stavsro/Gaustatoppen : 175,8 km
The Tour of Norway is a six-day stage race that takes place in late May or early June each year,
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May 26, 2022
Tour of Norway 2022 – Stage 3 – Gol – Stavsro/Gaustatoppen : 175,8 km
The Tour of Norway is a six-day stage race that takes place in late May or early June each year, featuring a plethora of cycling stars both domestic and international. Promoted by its race organisers as “the world’s best riders in the world’s most beautiful surroundings”, it would be hard to disagree on the second point. Taking in luscious views of cascading gorges, mighty fjords, high mountains and remarkable beaches, the viewers are in for a treat whenever cycling heads to The Land of the Midnight Sun.
Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) won the queen stage of the Tour of Norway on the third day of racing and moved back into the general classification lead.
Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix) had the Belgian rider in his sights but could get no closer than 27 seconds for second place, while Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers) took the final podium spot, 1:05 off the winning pace.
Crosswinds and climbing created huge gaps across the 175.7km stage 3. The Belgian made his winning move with 5km to go on the 12km uphill finish to Stavsro and the mountaintop finish of the Gaustatoppen. There were 3,863 metres of elevation gain across the route, with the final 12km setting up a stiff mountaintop finish with an average gradient of 7.7%, the maximum at 16.8%, making the stage the most mountainous in the history of the Tour of Norway.
Eight riders got away in the early kilometres and fought headwinds for a 1:50 gap after 25km – Ben King (Human Powered Health), Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Vito Braet (Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise), Lucas Eriksson (Riwal Cycling Team), Mads Kristensen (TeamColoQuick), Filippo Fiorelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Floris De Tier (Alpecin-Fenix) and André Drege (Team Coop). GC favorites Evenepoel, race leader Ethan Hayter, who had won stage 2, and the rest of Ineos Grenadiers remained in the front group.
The break of eight riders hit the opening categorised climb, Hogåsen, with Braet the first to crest. The second and third-placed points went to Nicolau and Drege, respectively.
The breakaway approached the second KOM with 80km to race with a 2:20 gap. At the first-category climb of Imingfjell, Nicolau went on the attack and took top points, trailed by Fiorelli and Kristensen.
Across the long descent towards the valley and uphill finish to Stavsro, the main group of chasers caught the break. EF Education-EasyPost and UnoX rode at the front of the main peloton with 25km to go, as Michel Hermann (Jumbo-Visma) drove solo and opened a gap of 50 seconds over the next few kilometres. Hermann held a 1:30 advantage at the base of the final climb.
From the reduced group, Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) launched an attack with just under 9km to go, Hermann falling back and out of the lead. A trio took over – Luke Plapp (Ineos Grenadiers), Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix) and Evenepoel – with Evenepoel making his move to go out front alone on a 9% gradient.
Results :