12 Tour de France teams above the polar circle
July 22 nd 2015 - 10:07
"This'll be the strongest field ever seen in a professional cycling race in Norway", says a happy Knut-Eirik Dybdal, the director of the Arctic Race of Norway, an event which was promoted to the Hors-Catégorie class by the Union Cycliste Internationale after a mere two editions. The presence of twelve Tour de France teams (i.e. more than half of those at the Grand Start in Utrecht), including seven World Tour outfits, is a new record for a Norwegian race. "When I came to North Cape last year I discovered a huge craze for cycling in a part of the world with not so many inhabitants", points out an enthusiastic Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France.
Freshly retired Thor Hushovd, who has served as the ambassador of the race ever since it joined the international cycling calendar, savoured the sporting legacy he left his country at the announcement of the selected teams. Edvald Boasson Hagen, who has not had the chance to take part in the event yet, will be making his debut at the front of the MTN-Qhubeka team, which is turning heads at the Tour de France and will be one of the strongest squads on the start line in Harstad. He will be flanked by Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot, fresh from a stint in the polka-dot jersey, as well as sprinters Theo Bos and Gerald Ciolek. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) is back with renewed ambitions after winning two stages and finishing second overall last year. Hushovd's protégé Sondre Holst Enger (IAM Cycling) has just claimed his first professional victory at the Tour of Austria and will have impressive back-up in the shape of the battle-hardened Mathias Frank, Stef Clement and Martin Elmiger, currently at the Tour de France.
Although the start list will be finalised in the week before the event, it already boasts contenders for the general classification such as Rein Taaramäe (Astana), Linus Gerdemann and Fabian Wegmann (Cult Energy), Silvan Dilier (BMC), Ilia Koshevoy and José Serpa (Lampre-Merida), as well as famous sprinters ready to give the fast Norwegians a run for their money: Niccolò Bonifazio and Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida), Sam Bennett (Bora-Argon 18), Jonas Ahlstrand (Cofidis), Robert Förster (United Healthcare), Russell Downing (Cult Energy) and Yauheni Hutarovich (Bretagne-Séché Environnement).
Norwegian TV viewers will get live coverage of the last two hours of the first two stages and the entirety of the other two stages on TV2.
Route of the 2015 Arctic Race of Norway:
- Stage 1 (August 13): Harstad-Harstad (210 km)
- Stage 2 (August 14): Evenskjer-Setermoen (155 km)
- Stage 3 (August 15): Finnsnes-Målselv (175 km)
- Stage 4 (August 16): Narvik-Narvik (160 km)
Watch Thor Hushovd's presentation of the route:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x7cg3_arn-2015-route-presentation_sport
- Astana
- BMC
- IAM Cycling
- Lampre-Merida
- Giant-Alpecin
- Katusha
- Tinkoff-Saxo
- Bora-Argon 18
- Bretagne-Séché Environnement
- Cofidis
- Europcar
- Cult Energy
- MTN-Qhubeka
- Novo Nordisk
- Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
- United Healthcare
- Coop-Øster Hus
- FixIT.no
- Joker
- Sparebanken Sør
- Ringeriks-Kraft
- Frøy-Bianchi