Alexander Kristoff takes win in Tour of Norway opening sprint over Edvald Boasson Hagen
Alexander Kristoff claimed victory in the opening sprint at the Tour of Norway.
Last Updated: 15/05/13 5:46pm
Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen was edged into second place in the bunch kick as the Tour of Norway got under way in Sarpsborg.
The Norwegian national champion latched on to a textbook lead-out from his Team Sky team-mates in the final kilometres but was narrowly edged out on the run to the line by countryman Kristoff (Katusha). Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) and Theo Bos (Blanco Cycling) were the next men home.
The win allowed Kristoff to open out a four-second lead but early bonus seconds signalled a strong start to the race for defending champion Boasson Hagen.
Team Sky set about controlling the 190.3km first stage, chasing down the day's break before the final kilometres on the finishing circuit became a battle between the sprint teams. The men in black and blue muscled their way to the front with Bernhard Eisel, Mathew Hayman, Ben Swift and finally Luke Rowe to show a team firing on all cylinders.
With steady rain falling six riders headed up the road as the race headed out of Fredrikstad and the group would go on to build up a buffer of 6:15 on the chasing pack.
As defending champions Team Sky played a watching brief on the front of the peloton along with Katusha and Blanco Cycling, each team keen to see the day end in a bunch sprint.
The break split in half briefly after an undulating section on the run into Sarpsborg, while behind Team Sky put in a sustained chase with Gabriel Rasch, Josh Edmondson and the returning Ian Boswell all getting through an impressive amount of work.
A bunch sprint was all but certain after the escapees were swept up and the speed driven up on the 6.6km finishing circuit.
