Daniel Schorn finishes the pinnacle stage of the Arctic Race of Norway in seventh place After attacking on the final climb of the day, Simon Spilak (Team Katusha) of Slovenia won the pinnacle stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, which covered 132 kilometers from Alta to Mount Kvænangsfjellet.

Steven Kruijswijk (Belkin-Pro Cycling Team) crossed the finish line just behind him as the only other rider who had managed to keep up with the 28-year-old Slovenian. Daniel Schorn gave an impressive performance on the nearly seven-kilometer final climb with a promising seventh place finish. Now in ninth place, Paul Voss continues to be Team NetApp-Endura’s best rider in the general classification, in which Steven Kruijswijk now has the overall lead.

“Today [yesterday] many teams were trying to get someone into the group. The group that ultimately broke away was caught on the next to last mountain, resulting in a closed field up until the final climb. The decisive attack then came on the final climb and the duo was able to hold onto their lead all the way to the finish line. We had three guys in the pursuit group with Paul, Daniel and Jan. Our guys did a very good job on the pursuit. Paul once again tried to escape two kilometers before the finish line, but there was no chance of getting ahead today. Tomorrow [today] a few teams will be riding for a sprint, but that won’t necessarily be our strategy. Not only is the route very prone to windy conditions, but the final lap has to be circuited several times and includes a climb. We will try to move up some spots in the general classification,” Enrico Poitschke, Sport Director of Team NetApp-Endura, said.

In challenging outdoor conditions with rain and temperatures hovering just above ten degrees Celsius, today’s pinnacle stage of the Arctic Race of Norway began in Alta, where yesterday’s stage ended. The day’s 132-km route continued along the Altafjord, then turned into the Langfjord and ended with a summit finish from Kvænangenfjord to Mount Kvænangsfjellet, which was 6.9 kilometers long and had an average incline of 5.7kilometers.

A breakaway group formed within the first 20 kilometers and once again dominated today’s stage. This time the favorite teams kept three cyclists on a long leash for the entire day before catching them just in time for the finale. After that, a number of other riders tried their luck in counterattacks, but all of them met the same fate. In the end, the strongest riders decided the win of the day among themselves.

Tomorrow [today] the northernmost cycling race in the world will end with a 165-km final stage in Tromsø. The five final laps with the short but steep Tromsø summit will provide the sprinters with a particularly strenuous day.