Though tailor-made for the sprint specialist, the second stage of the Tour of Norway ended with a decision between two riders who had broken away from the pack with less than 30 kilometers remaining in the stage.  On the line, it was Marc de Maar (UHC) who got the better of Paterski (CCC Polsat). Alexander Kristof (Katusha) won the sprint for third place from the remaining bunch, though it was not enough for Kristof to keep de Maar from taking yellow.

 

IAM Cycling distinguished itself throughout the stage, culminating with Aleksejs Saramotins finishing 4th in the sprint while Sébastien Hinault managed to grab 8th for the day.  But it was Jonathan Fumeaux who went full gas to secure a victory by chasing hard with the group of twelve riders hot on the heels of the leading duo. 

 

Rubens Bertogliati, who is acting as a directeur sportif along with Kjell Carlström, was pleased with the efforts his riders made. 

 

“Jonathan Fumeaux deserved a better result today.  He showed real panache when he went on the attack.  Unfortunately, the chase group was not working perfectly.  It’s a shame because he certainly had the legs to win, even if the stage was not the ideal course for him. 

 

Nevertheless, in the bunch sprint, we were well represented with high placings for both Saramotins and Hinault. This bodes well for the two stages where we can rely on our climbers to represent us. 

 

"Once again, our plan will be to attack.  I do not know which team will take the initiative, but we will also be very active.  One never wins by just sitting on wheels.”