Tinkoff-Saxo got back up to speed in Norway with 177 kilometers of racing along the western inlets on the opening stage of Tour des Fjords. Danish champion Michael Valgren came back from a month-long race break to finish 5th on the stage won by Alexander Kristoff.
Elaborating on the outcome after the stage, Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Nicki Sørensen tells that the terrain got a bit too tough for team sprinter Michael Kolar, while Valgren stepped up to represent the team in the final burst for the line in a decimated front group.
“It was a rainy day on small twisting roads up and down along the fjords. As it turned out, it was quite good that we had Valgren, as our designated sprinters Kolar and Trusov didn’t make it over the last climb. It was the hardest stage profile wise in the race, so Valgren was our best option in the sprint and he grabbed a fifth place, which is fine”, says Nicki Sørensen.
Stage 1 from Bergen presented the riders with 177km along the shores to Norheimsund, where Alexander Kristoff won the sprint in a group consisting of just 23 riders followed by a big group trailing by 14 seconds. Michael Valgren last raced at Liège-Bastogne-Liège a month ago, but despite the hiatus from racing, he has returned competitive, asserts Nicki Sørensen.
“Michael has a high basic level so I’m not surprised by the fact that he finished up there today. He’s not in top form and he hasn’t had the optimum preparation ahead of Tour de Fjords, since he last raced in April but he’s in the process of building his shape for this summer. I think he will only get stronger and stronger during the race”, finishes Nicki Sørensen.
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