Race ambassador and race favourite Thor Hushovd (BMC Racing Team) was true to his words as he also won the event of his dreams in the far north of Norway. His successful final sprint awarded him the time bonus he needed in order to pass Kenny van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM) in the overall classification.

It was not just another victory but an absolute triumph for the “Thunder God” [Thor in Scandinavian mythology] who overcame health troubles and difficult times to come back as a great champion despite missing out on the Tour de France this year.

“Well, that was deep”, reacted Thor Hushovd about the violent effort he was forced to produce to win the final sprint uphill Harstad.

“Having not won the last intermediate sprint, I had to gain time over Van Hummel. Winning the stage was the best way to make it happen. Before coming to the Arctic Race of Norway, I said I wanted to win a stage and the overall, so I feel that it is mission accomplished now. It’s massive but it’s been hard. I was encouraged so much by the public that I couldn’t let them down. I had to win for all these people who came and supported us, not only myself. I’m proud of what I’ve done but I’m even prouder of what my country has done for cycling this week. The support alongside the road has been incredibly fantastic, as well as the success of the race on TV. For Norwegians, this is the small Tour de France and they want it to look the same with the same enthusiasm. I don’t know if I’ll be the race ambassador for ever but for sure, the race has a great future.”