Steele Von Hoff proved that ONE made a good decision by signing him for their first year at the pro continental level when he took one of the two biggest victories for the British team in the bunch sprint on the first stage of the Tour of Norway. With a bit of luck to find a gap on the left-hand side of the road, the Australian showed an impressive turn of speed to easily beat Phil Bauhaus (Bora-Argon 18) and Yannick Martinez (Delko) to take both the stage victory and the leader’s jersey.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Steele von Hoff: I am not surprised to win here

An early breakaway escaped off the front of the peloton and built up a lead of over six minutes during the course of the next 40km. The five leaders worked well together to hold the peloton at bay whilst Dimension Data and Drapac took up the chase. At the 70km mark and having already crested the first KOM of the day the break was putting up a resislant fight still holding the peloton at over six minutes. ONE Pro Cycling made the call to send Peter Williams up to the front of the race to help with chipping away at the leaders advantage.

 

Passing the 100km marker and with 72km remaining the gap was just under five minutes with only another 50 seconds being chipped away over the course of the next 25km. The closing stages of the race were to be contested on heavy roads with strong cross winds thrown into the mix. With the gap still continuing to fall slowly Richard Handley went to the front to assist Williams with the chase with the rest of the team holding Steele in a protected position.

  

With the final KOM of the day crested the gap was hovering at 2 minutes as the peloton began their charge to the finish with Handley pulling some big turns on the front of the peloton. Running into the final small unclassified climb of the day with 4km remaining the breakaway was finally caught with two riders from the peloton seeing a chance to jump away, however this was short lived with the peloton chasing hard on the run towards the finish.

 

Steele Von Hoff was positioned around ten riders back as they passed under the red kite (1km to go banner) and started their charge towards the line. As the sprint began to unfold on the small drag up to the finish Von Hoff had to freewheel as the gap in front of him began to close but no sooner had it closed it opened up again and Von Hoff unleashed a ferocious sprint to the line crossing the line 2 bike lengths clear with his arms in the air to take the victory and they Yellow jersey as Race leader of the Tour of Norway.

 

”It's fantastic to win here. I have not competed for a while, and this is my first race in four weeks. It was fun to be back with the guys again, and they did a great job for me today, he tells TV2.

 

”They rode all day, also several of our GC riders. I felt guilty that they ruined their chances. So I just had to pay them back. And I am very glad that I did it.

 

”It was hectic today. It was hectic from 50 kilometers out. But I remained calm and moved up quite late. In the finale there was a small climb and that’s where I went. It was perfect.

 

”I'm not surprised. I have felt brilliant in training recently and have had a race break. My coach has made a very good plan for me. I am very happy that it finally paid off.”

 

Gamble nearly pays off for Bauhaus and Bora-Argon 18 in Norway

BORA – ARGON 18 decided to play a little poker and had been right in the end.

 

BORA – ARGON 18’s priority was to bring Phil Bauhaus, the team’s sprinter, safely over the last climb, and therefore the team waited long to make their move. When the last KOM was done and Bauhaus was still comfortable in the peloton, the team moved up to help Dimension Data in the chase behind the leading group. With 2k to go everything was back together and a very fast final started. Bauhaus was positioned well, but Steele von Hoff was faster in the end. This second place is another proof of the good shape and was also rewarded with the jersey for the best young rider.

 

“We already decided before the start to play a little poker today and try to save some energy. Therefore, we also did not go into the break of the day. Crucial for us was to get with Phil over the last KOM. CeCe (Benedetti) did a great job there to control the pace in the peloton. I am very satisfied with the team today because everyone did a great job and we really stick to our plan. We did not succeed in the end, but the second place of Phil is a strong result,” said Christian Pömer, sports director  

 

“The team did a great job in protecting me on the last climb, they set a good pace on the front of the peloton, not too fast but also not too slow. From there on the final was slightly downhill all the time, therefore we decided in the morning to go with 55 chainrings today. In the end one guy was faster than me, but I am really happy with my condition at the moment,” said Phil Bauhaus.

 

Aggressive ride by Italian youngster on good day for Wanty in Norway

It was a great ride by the riders of Wanty-Groupe Gobert in the first stage of the Tour of Norway. 
 

Robin Stenuit took the fourth place of the bunch sprint. Marco Marcato tried to attack at 2 kilometres from the finish. Simone Antonini spent the whole day in the breakaway and was caught 3 kilometres from the finish.

 

"I strongly believed we could make it,” Antonini said. “The other two riders were not pushing so hard as me. In the last 20 km, I gave everything. This is my second race after a hand fracture. I'm not 100% yet. I'm happy because I showed my agressive mentality."

 

Van der Sande close to victory on first day in Norway

For Lotto Soudal,  Tosh Van der Sande sprinted to fifth place.

 

”5th today @tourofnorway ! Big thanks to my @Lotto_Soudal teammates...Perfect leadout of @Greghenderson1 but i lost the wheel with 500m to go,” he tweeted after the stage.

 

Hard chase work costly for Van Asbroeck in Norwegian sprint

Tom Van Asbroeck finished seventh in the opening stage of the Tour of Norway in Langesund today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter had to use all of his team-mates to catch the breakaway and counted only on Sep Vanmarcke for the bunch sprint. Steele Von Hoff (One Pro Cycling) won the stage.

 

“We worked to force a bunch sprint the whole day,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said. “There were five leaders and we didn’t get much support in our chase for a bunch sprint. It was hard to control the race and together with Dimension Data, we did our best to catch the breakaway. It’s a compliment for those leaders that we almost failed to bring everything back together.”

 

Because Team LottoNL-Jumbo needed more riders to close the gap, Van Asbroeck was only able to count on Vanmarcke in the bunch kick.

 

“They were in good position, but were just too early on the front,” Zeeman continued. “There were some men able to quickly come from behind. It would have been better if we still had enough men for a lead-out, but we needed everyone earlier.”

 

The riders face a tough stage in Norway on Thursday.

 

“There’s a lot of climbing to be done and we don’t have real climbers in our team for this race,” Zeeman added. “It won’t be a controlled race on the other hand because the teams are only with six riders each. We’re counting on the chance to force something in another way. We’re aiming for stage victory this race.”

 

Bad start for Edvald Boasson Hagen in home race

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka assumed responsibility for leading the chase with Norwegian champion Edvald Boasson Hagen the overall race favourite. The African Team riders did a sterling job to control the gap for the majority of the stage alone, with a few teams later only lending a rider each to help with the chase.

 

With only 5 riders who had already worked tirelessly throughout the day, it was difficult to control the final as the team tried to set up Boasson Hagen for the final. In the end, the Norwegian star didn't have the position to challenge for the win and just rolled home with the peloton. 

 

Sports director Oli Cookson said:
 

“We had a big plan for the day, but it was very difficult as we only have 5 of 6 riders. Everyone was looking to us with Edvald and also as one of the 3 World Tour teams here, we knew it would be difficult. The team is super motivated to be here though, the weather is good and the countryside is beautiful.

 

”We knew the race would be very hard from the start and we just wanted to make sure we were happy with the composition of the break. We identified a couple of teams that might be a danger to us and made sure they didn't get away. Ourselves, Lotto-Jumbo, Drapac and later Lotto-Soudal and Caja Rural all sent a rider to pull.

 

”It was up and down all day, windy in parts as we went inland and back to the coast a few times. Adrien Niyonshuti was pulling all day, he did an amazing job keeping the 5 guys to a max of 6 minutes. It was with 30km to go that the other teams came to help.

 

”It was a super-fast downhill run to the finish but with 4km to go there was a 1km climb of 6% and we anticipated this as being a key point but the bunch held steady over the climb. Edvald wasn't able to perform his sprint but there a more stages to come and better suited to him where we want to capitalize.”

 

”It was incredibly chaotic and I almost crashed. I was too far back,” a clearly disappointed Boasson Hagen told TV2.

 

”There were many who wanted to be in front. Then it will be like that. But the team did a great job for me,

 

“I'd rather get through with all skin left on the body. Then you hold something back and go more backwards than forward. It was not my day today.”

 

Young Norwegian takes mountains jersey in Norway

Haavard Blikra took the mountains jersey.

 

“For a while, we hoped that we were going to make it, but the peloton came fast at the end. Along the way, we concentrated most on the sprints and the mountains jersey, but towards the end when we had two minutes with 15 kilometers to go, we hoped, Blikra told TV2.

 

”The jersey was the goal for the day, so I'm very happy with it.

 

”We've only done one day. There is a long way yet, but I will try to defend it. I go relatively well on climbs, but some of them are long. I am probably better on the slightly shorter ones. We'll take one day at a time.”

 

Puncture takes Mads Pedersen out of Norwegian sprint

The opening stage of the Tour of Norway was, as expected, decided in a bunch sprint after a rolling but relatively relaxed 174km parcours from Drammen to Langesund. Over the line, Team Stölting Service Group missed out on a top finish with Mads Pedersen first rider home in 22nd after fighting back from a late wheel change.

 

The Team Stölting Service Group riders were busy looking after each other in the bunch and staying out of trouble ahead of the expected fast finish.

 

With 20km to go the gap was still over three minutes and the breakaway’s chances were looking good but the peloton picked the pace up once again and as the final kilometres approached the leaders were in their sights. The catch came with just a few kilometres to race, setting up a fast finish won by Steele von Hoff (One Pro Cycling), with the team setting things up for Pedersen. The young Dane had to change a wheel late on putting him and the team on the back foot before fighting to get back to the front and into position as Sport Director Jochen Hahn explained.

 

“We expected the race to come down to a sprint today and were looking to help Mads but he was set back by needing a late wheel change. It was hard to get back to the front with the pace high and this cost us for the sprint.”