Edvald Boasson Hagen is riding the Tour of Britain not just for the GC and stage wins, but to try and find top form before he aims to help his compatriot Alexander Kristoff win the Worlds Road Race.

"It has always been good to me in the past. The last two times I’ve done it I’ve done really well. But that’s a few years ago now and I think the peloton is stronger than what it was then," he said of the Tour of Britain when he spoke to Cyclingnews after stage two, where he was third.

"The good thing about it now, though, is the way that it sets you up for the Worlds, which are next up for me. That’s why I’ve come here this week."

The Norwegian on MTN-Qhubeka says he isn’t in the know about the Worlds course but from what he has heard, it can really suit a sprinter who goes well in the Classics, with Tour of Flanders winner Kristoff the best man for the job.

"I don’t know much about the course in Richmond beyond the fact that it’s a hard course, but that it’s not too hard to count out the sprinters, so Kristoff will be the guy for us," he said.

"I’ll aim to do a good job for him, but there’s always the possibility that I might get a chance myself," he admitted.