From just 80 kilometres below the Arctic Circle, the Arctic Race of Norway promises to be an attacking race around the picturesque coastline and fjords of the region.
The ninth edition of the race should see a big battle, with six UCI WorldTeams spearheading the team list with many different targets in sight.
Israel-Premier Tech won’t enter defending champion Ben Hermans, yet fields a very strong squad of riders capable of delivering an outstanding result. After a resilient display on the Tour de France, Krists Neilands will try to improve his third place on the GC of the 2019 edition of this race while his teammate Patrick Bevin aims to net his second UCI ProSeries stage race of the season after winning the Tour of Turkey in April.
Along with these two leaders comes Norway’s Carl Fredrik Hagen, twice a top 10 finisher on the Arctic Race’s GC and the two recent stage winners on the Tour de France, Australian Simon Clarke and Hugo Houle.
Hagen is not the sole local rider entering the Arctic Race of Norway with the ambition of triumphing in the overall classification, a feat that has not been replicated by a Norwegian rider since Thor Hushovd conquered the first edition of the event back in 2013.
22-year-old Tobias Halland Johannessen is one of the most exciting talents in the world of cycling after winning the 2021 Tour de l’Avenir and claiming the best young rider jersey on this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné. The uphill finish at Skallstuggu Summit, to be held on stage 3, should be the ideal hunting ground for Uno-X’s bright prospect.
There he will face Andreas Leknessund, a rider who has already triumphed in Trondheim, host city of the lumpy final stage, as he claimed the ITT National Championship there as a junior five years ago. 7th on the final GC last year, Leknessund leads a well-rounded Team DSM squad on which Cees Bol will play for the sprint finishes expected in the two opening stages at Mo I Rana and Brønnøysund.
Another renowned Norwegian rider, TotalEnergies’ Edvald Boasson Hagen, will be a favourite for those stages, with the local yet to win a stage in this race. The sprinter to beat on this domain, though, will be Dylan Groenewegen.
Australian WorldTour team BikeExchange-Jayco is making its first appearance on the Arctic Race of Norway this very month of August, and is seemingly willing to do it in style with Groenewegen at the helm.
The Dutch rider will be supported by most of the train that led him out a stage of the Tour de France a few weeks ago in Sønderborg, and will try to keep his good vibe on Nordic roads while his teammate Amund Jansen enjoys racing on home soil and Australia’s Nick Schultz targets the GC.
Meant to upset the ambitions of the sprinters are powerhouses like Intermarché’s Quinten Hermans, who astounded the cycling world by landing a podium spot at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and intends to put his quality into display after missing the Tour de France.
A rider who has already tasted victory in this event, Norway’s August Jensen, lead the charge from the USA’s Human Powered Health. Like Jensen, who was 2nd overall in 2017, Cofidis’ Victor Lafay has already podiumed on the GC as he was 3rd last year.
One of the freshest additions to this Arctic Race’s team roster is China Glory Continental Cycling Team, who enters USA’s Sean Bennett as a designed leader and China’s Lyu Xianjing as a joker prepared to make waves in the Norwegian Sea.
Arctic Race of Norway on SBS On Demand - August 11-14
Stage 1 MO I RANA > MO I RANA
09:20pm - 12:00am AEST
LIVE on SBS On Demand
Stage 2 MOSJØEN > BRØNNØYSUND
09:20pm - 12:00am AEST
LIVE on SBS On Demand
Stage 3 NAMSOS > SKALLSTUGGU SUMMIT
09:30pm - 02:20am AEST
LIVE on SBS On Demand
Stage 4 TRONDHEIM > TRONDHEIM
10:00pm - 02:20am AEST
LIVE on SBS On Demand
