In the fjords of southern Norway, Frenchman Axel Laurence (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won powerfully at the summit of Gullingen (5.5 km at 8%). He beat the Englishman Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) and the Dutchman Bart Lemmen (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Laurance showed patience to pocket his third success of the season. Well placed in the last kilometers, he was not trapped when the white jersey Marco Brenner launched a scathing attack leaving the Belgian leader Thibau Nys on the side. A few hectometers from the final, the Breton once again showed his ability to finish in a sprint when the percentages rise.
Winner of the day, Axel Laurance also takes on the leader’s jersey to the detriment of Nys. Dropped on Thursday before arriving at the top of the first stage, Wout Van Aert fell and finished the race with a bleeding elbow. After two first mountainous stages, the riders of the Tour of Norway will experience 173 km of flat terrain between Sola and Egersund on Saturday.
