The 19-year-old Belgian got caught four kilometers from home, while teammate Alvaro Hodeg took second on the line.
Remco Evenepoel sparked the most important move of the day at the Tour of Norway, attacking from afar on the penultimate stage, which had everything – from a high-speed tempo at the start and crosswinds that split the peloton to our neo-pro’s brave action and a highly-contested sprint in Drammen, a stage finish for the first time in six years.
The longest classified climb of the race, Meheia (11.7km, 3.7%) was where the current Junior World Champion decided to make his move, going clear over the top together with Marc Hirschi (Team Sunweb), more than 60 kilometers from the line. This gutsy attack was doubled by an incredible all-out effort, as Remco didn’t spare any energy and buried himself to keep the chasers at bay. Together with his companion, the Deceuninck – Quick-Step rider quickly opened a one-minute advantage over a peloton which began the chase only after regrouping on the downhill, having previously been split in the crosswinds.
Inside the final ten kilometers of stage 5, the duo possessed a 20-second gap, but that didn’t mean it was all easy-peasy for the bunch, who had to work hard in order to bring back a determined Remco, that continued to push and put in a valiant effort before being caught with only four kilometers to go.
“Today I tried to go for the stage win and that’s why I made my move on that long climb. We worked really well together and went full gas, but they caught us very close to the finish, helped also by those long, flat roads. It felt amazing to be on the attack and put the others under pressure, but I’m a bit disappointed that we got caught as it happened so late in the stage. Fortunately, the race isn’t over yet and we’ll keep trying”, an upbeat Remco said in Drammen.
The flat finale favoured a bunch sprint, which was won by home rider Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), just ahead of Alvaro Hodeg. Victorious on stage 2, when he became the first Colombian to get a success at the Tour of Norway, the 22-year-old finished on the podium for the sixth time since the beginning of the season, a remarkable consistency for Hodeg, who has shown his talents in both one-day races and multi-stage events.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claeesen/ Getty Images
