Hugo Houle and Carl Fredrik Hagen shine in Arctic Race of Norway
Israel – Premier Tech displayed a strong team performance on the queen stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, resulting in impressive finishes for Hugo Houle and Carl Fredrik Hagen in third and fifth place respectively on the final climb. The team’s strategy was to save their energy for the uphill finish in Skallstuggu, knowing that the stage win would likely be determined by the GC favorites.
Taking control of the peloton with 5 km to go, the IPT riders increased the pace to catch the remaining riders from the early breakaway. Hagen, who had previously reconnoitered the final climb, intelligently managed his efforts on the lower slopes and launched several attacks on the steep sections, in pursuit of the leading rider, Victor Lafay of Cofidis. Despite his valiant efforts, Lafay managed to hold off the chase group, with Hagen and Houle crossing the line just three seconds behind. Krists Neilands secured a 14th place finish.
Sports director Nicki Sørensen expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “Everybody did well today. We made a plan last night and they all did their part today.” Sørensen further praised the work of Cole Kessler, Sebastian Berwick, and Simon Clarke in setting a hard pace leading into the climb. He also commended the three GC riders for their strong performances on the final climb.
In addition to the stage result, the team’s goal was to maintain three riders in contention for the general classification ahead of tomorrow’s potentially grueling stage. Sørensen happily reported that the team achieved this objective, saying, “We managed to do that and I’m very happy with the way everybody performed today. Great work all around!”
As a result of their impressive finishes on the queen stage, Houle currently sits in third place overall in the general classification, with Hagen in seventh place and Krists Neilands in 12th place heading into the final stage of the race on Sunday.
