Alexander Kamp wins final stage in Tour of Norway, Eduard Prades takes overall win
May 20 2018 08:53 pm CET
Team Virtu Cycling
Alexander Kamp has won the final stage in the Tour of Norway. The Virtu rider beat Eduard Prades and Carl Fredrik Hagen in a sprint of three after breaking away in the final 20 kilometres. The Spaniard of Euskadi Murias takes the leader's jersey from Dylan Groenewegen, who got dropped on the difficult course.
Stage 5 was a mountainous stage over 154 kilometres between Moelv and Lillehammer. With two second category climbs, one of the first category and several uncategorised ascents, this stage seemed too tough for the sprinters. As a result, many riders were hoping to surprise the peloton from the breakaway.
There were several attempts in the beginning, including those by Paul Martens and Amund Grøndahl Jansen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Philip Deignan (Sky) and defending champion Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension-Data). The pace was so high that splits occurred in the peloton already. The first part of the bunch, led by Israel Cycling Academy, joined the attackers on the ascent to Hafjell. David Lopez Garcia (Sky) won the mountain sprint, ahead of Luis Mas Bonet (Caja Rural) and Rob Ruijgh (Tarteletto-Isorex).
With a constantly changing race situation and a blistering pace, it became clear that the GC would be shaken today. Race leader Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) was dropped on the climb to Musdalen, where Lopez Garcia again took the maximum points, ahead of Nick Schultz (Caja Rural) and Jerome Baugnies (Wanty Groupe Gobert).
With 80 kilometres to go the situation finally seemed to settle as a break of 5 riders managed to escape. Grøndahl Jansen realised this was the successful attempt and tried to bridge the gap. After a 10 kilometre chase the Norwegian succeeded and the break continued with 6. Soon after also Pawel Bernas (CCC) managed to bridge the gap that had by then decreased to 30 seconds.
The break could not recover from this and they were reeled in with 35 kilometres to go, by a peloton in which about 50 riders were left. New groups kept forming in front and then being reeled back in again. With 15 kilometres to go the most dangerous break formed. Carl Fredrik Hagen (Joker Icopal), Eduard Prades (Euskadi-Murias) and Alexander Kamp (Virtu) managed to break clear and started the final 10 kilometres with an advantage of 35 seconds. They managed to maintain and gradually increase this gap to 50 seconds back to a chasing group of 19 riders.
The three managed to stay away and sprint for the victory. Kamp was the fastest of the three, ahead of Prades and Hagen. For the Dane this is his second win of the season, while the Spaniard takes his first this year.
By Siebe Kok
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