The opening stage of the Arctic Race of Norway was one that the Giant-Alpecin team aimed to set up Lars van der Haar for a fast finish but it wasn’t to be as the guys lost each other in the sprint and couldn’t get back up in time to challenge.

The first stage at the race classed as the northern-most race in the world was punctuated by a strong breakaway of seven riders behind which the sprinters teams were made to work hard to keep in check. With teams of six riders only things were made even more difficult but by the final 10km the race was all back together and heading into a sprint finish.

A tough uphill ramp to be tackled twice in the final circuits sparked a few attacks but as the race hit the final few kilometres the front group was all back together. Team Giant-Alpecin looked to van der Haar, with Ramon Sinkeldam leading him into the sprint but the two weren’t able to stay together. After finding each other again, Sinkeldam did a strong job in trying to get van der Haar back to the front but it was too late.

At the front of the race Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) took the stage honours and the first leader’s jersey of the race.

Following the stage coach Dirk Reuling said: “It was a long stage of 213km today which was already a test for some of our young riders here. We planned to race for Lars on the uphill sprint finish, and the guys stayed together well on the local lap as planned. In the last five kilometres Lars lost the wheel of Ramon and that cost a lot of energy. Ramon was able to pick him up and bring him back to the top ten but Lars wasn’t able to sprint from there and had to let go.”

“I got the opportunity today to sprint. But in the final eI lost the wheel so we had to come from too far behind. Thanks for the opportunity, Giant-Alpecin,” van der Haar wrote on Twitter.