Team stagiaires Michael Gogl and Antwan Tolhoek put in a motivated effort at Arctic Race of Norway, where stage winner Kristoff and Boasson Hagen expectedly fought for the win on the final uphill sprint. Gogl, coming fresh off a promising effort in Denmark, continued his active riding with an attack into the race finale.

Tinkoff-Saxo had planned to position the squad’s fast-man Michael Kolar for the final sprint but a string of punchy climbs severed the pack and threw a spanner in the works for the team ambitions, tells sports director Sean Yates.

“Despite racing north of the Arctic Circle, we had 13, 14, 15 degrees and fairly fine conditions. The stage was straightforward with seven guys escaping for the long break of the day. Katusha with Kristoff and MTN with Boasson Hagen took up the chase and a few teams chipped in. After 180km of chasing, the last man was reeled in and the wind up to the finish line could begin”, says Sean Yates and continues:

“Michael Gogl, our new stagiaire, who rode well in Denmark and gained confidence, showed that he’s in a good shape. He had a go on the short climb, as we entered the final laps. In his second move he bridged up to a small group and later he tried once more to break loose. Antwan Tolhoek was obviously also going well in his first ever race in the Tinkoff-Saxo colors”.

Stage 1 of Arctic Race of Norway consisted of 210 somewhat flat kilometers with a lumpy finish. Despite a number of attacks, it was up to the sprinters to decide the outcome of the stage, where Alexander Kristoff proved the fastest.

“It’s what most people expected would happen so in that sense there’s nothing extraordinary. Our plan was to have Michael Kolar there in the final sprint but he didn’t make the cut, when the bunch started splitting up. Tomorrow should be lumpier than today, and as we said going into the race, we have a team of just five riders and we’ll try to take our chances. Apparently, tomorrow is easier than it looks on paper, which favors the sprinters. But if the opportunity arises, we’re ready to grab it”, finishes Sean Yates.