The 5th Tour of Norway kicked off on Wednesday with stage 1 from Arnes to Sarpsborg at 182,6 km.   With the break still holding a small advantage in the final kilometer, it was touch and go before the catch was made and Team Katusha’s Alexander Kristoff sprinted for the win. It was the Norwegian rider’s 12th win of the 2015 season and twenty-first win for the team. 

"It’s great to win at home and that’s what I’m here to do, so I’m very happy to win the first stage. It was a very strong break and I had to put all of my guys on the front to pull and we were barely able to catch them – it was a close one. But even after taking a rest I knew after a good training period that I could still win. I felt a little bit heavy today and I started a bit too far back in the sprint so I wasn’t too sure how it would go and was somewhat nervous. My team did a very good job but in the end we had to put everyone up there. In the team meeting we said on this technical circuit we would use all the guys if it was going to be close and that’s how it worked out. Other teams were helping too near the end but some of that came sort of late. We are here with teams of only six riders so there are less guys to control it," said team leader Alexander Kristoff. Told at the end of the race that Ilnur Zakarin had also won a stage at the Giro d’Italia, Kristoff congratulated his teammate on his first grand tour stage victory. 

The first of five days of racing brought a breakaway with five riders moving ahead with a gap of five minutes maximum.  At 20 km the gap was still 2.30 and Team Katusha put everyone on the front to continue the hard work of bringing them back. While the break looked for an upset, everything was all together with 300 meters to go and Kristoff set out on the right side of the course to ramp up his sprint for the win. Second place went to Caleb Ewan from Orica-GreenEdge and third to Edvald Boasson Hagen from MTN-Qhuneka. Alexander Kristoff’s win also gave him the first leader’s jersey for the 2015 Tour of Norway. 

Stage 2 begins in Drammen to Langesund at 193 km. Along the water for much of the day, wind could be a factor in addition to the two rated climbs, but it should pan out to be another day for a mass sprint.