Frustrated after missing out on the victory in the inaugural stage, Thor Hushovd (BMC Racing Team) got back into winning mood in the most beautiful environment he could dream of to promote the event he’s an ambassador for.

Perfectly led out by his team-mate Adam Blythe who made no mistake in the tricky final corner in Svolvær, the Norwegian won the bunch sprint and took the lead ahead of stage 1 winner Kenny van Hummel (Vacansoleil) on the second day in the Arctic Race of Norway.

“I was very determined to win today”, said Hushovd as soon as he got off his bike. “It means a lot to me to be a winner at a race that I have supported a lot from the start. This is the best bike race I’ve ever taken part in. Yesterday I missed out because of the positioning but I felt strong today. The final sprint was a bit of a chaos but I got an excellent lead out by Adam Blythe. When I got out from his wheel and I launched my sprint with 200 metres to go, I got the feeling of being unbeatable. In fact, nobody managed to pass me. This is fantastic. The support of the people here in the north of Norway is even bigger than I expected. The route today showed how beautiful this place is. It couldn’t be a better outcome for me. Now I hope to be able to keep the leader’s jersey till the end.”