On the last day of the Tour of Norway Vegard Breen joined a breakaway. He was the strongest of a front group of eight, but in the finale his fellow countryman Andreas Vangstad closed the gap and won. Breen was reeled in by the chase group. Pim Ligthart sprinted to the fourth place, Tosh Van der Sande finished as seventh.

“I was the last to join the breakaway. We worked together really well, but didn’t get much lead because one of my companions stood high in GC. If he hadn’t been with us that probably wouldn’t have made a difference because Katusha wanted a sprint for Alexander Kristoff. On the hill, which we had to climb four times in the finale, the front group fell apart during the first ascent. I stayed in front with two others. We kept up a high tempo. I felt I was the strongest. By the beginning of the last lap we didn’t get any info about the time gaps anymore. Half a lap before the end Vangstad closed the gap. I couldn’t follow him on the climb and got caught,” Vegard Breen said to the Lotto Soudal website.

“I’m happy I could show myself, but it would have been better if I had won. I believed in it until the penultimate lap. I felt I could leave the others behind. If I had known the time gaps I would have waited for Vangstad and saved some energy that way. The past days I got back in the race rhythm after I had been out for a long time with an elbow injury. The condition can be better, but the basic condition is good so it won’t take long before I’m in top shape.”