Spilak takes queen stage, Kruijswijk moves into the lead
August 16 th 2014 - 16:49
Albert Timmer (Giant-Shimano), Florian Sénéchal (Cofidis) and Vegard Bugge (Joker) were the three attackers of the day. As this was a crucial stage for the overall victory, the favorites didn't allow them much of a gap. A difference of 2.50 was recorded with 85km to go while race leaders Belkin combined forces with Norwegian continental team Øster Hus-Ridley from Stavanger.
Timmer was the last man to be caught with 13.5km to go, just before the last intermediate sprint of the day won by Kristoff who was looking for points and Davide Villela who was on the hunt for time bonus. The best young rider of the ARN appeared like the main threat for race leader Nordhaug but competition was also in his Belkin camp for the Norwegian. Following several attacks brought back by Cannondale and Belkin, Kruijswijk followed Spilak's attack with 5km to go in the 6.9km climb to Kvænangsfjellet. The Slovenian chose the right moment and the steepest part of the hill to make his move. Kruijswijk remained loyal to his team-mate as he didn't cooperate with Spilak to increase his lead but none of the chasers managed to come across to the leading duo.
A gap of fifteen seconds was timed on the line, so Kruijswijk didn't even need the time bonus to move into the race lead but he's now eight seconds ahead of Nordhaug in the general classification while Villela stands in third at seventeen seconds. “As we had Lars-Petter in the lead and the stage was short, we wanted a small breakaway to go”, Kruijswijk explained. “The finale on the climb was pretty unpredictable with the wind so we kept the group together and watched our competitors. I went with Spilak when he attacked. Then I saw that Lars-Petter wasn't behind me anymore so I stayed in Spilak's wheel and the overall lead stayed in the team. It's my first time leading a general classification so it becomes a big goal for me. I came here with some ambitions and it's working well as a team.”
“I wanted to attack today”, said Spilak. “We had a plan for doing it in the hardest part of the climb. After winning with Kristoff yesterday, we agreed that the team would work for me today. It's beautiful. I've taken ten days off after pulling out of the Tour de France [in stage 17] with a stomach bug. I've recovered well. Shorter stage races suit me better.”
A triple crown is expected for Katusha as Kristoff is the hot favorite for stage 4 in Tromsø. “I'm confident”, the Norwegian admitted. “People say I'm unbeatable at the moment but I've been beaten today. I strongly hope to win again on the final day of the Arctic Race.”