Tour of Norway (st. 1)

Polish champion with Aude Biannic (10th), Mavi García (16th), all offensive into 30-rider lead group formed at Solbergfoss dam's hill, 40km from Mysen's finish. Marianne Vos (WAD) takes win and leader's jersey.

Former, multiple world champion Marianne Vos (WAD) took the opening victory in the 2018 Ladies Tour of Norway at the end of a 128km route from Rakkestad to Mysen. The technical, hilly, overall difficult course made for some unpredictable course, with a quite shorter group at the end after offensive racing which suited well the Movistar Team’s skills.

Mavi García and Malgorzata Jasinska the most active from the Jorge Sanz-led squad into a first bunch of about 30 riders, formed after the day’s only rated QOM of Skoro -where Mavi took 2nd place- and also including French champion Aude Biannic. The three Blues, with ‘Jasi’ (6th) and Aude (10th) inside the day’s top-ten, fared well at a slightly uphill sprint which Canada’s Karol-Ann Canuel (DLT) was close to avoid with a late solo action.

Marianne Vos (WAD) gana la 1ª etapa de la Vuelta a Noruega en Mysen, en apretada llegada ante Emilia Fahlin (WHT, 2ª), después de que Canuel (DLT) fuese cazada en recta de meta. @JasiGos, 5ª provisional; @audebiannic, 10ª prov. El 2º pelotón, a 2'15" aprox. #LToN18 pic.twitter.com/BZrANIKdRf

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) August 17, 2018

That made a triple representation at the front -and the lead of the teams’ classification- for the Movistar Team, which had stayed focused and well positioned all all day thanks to teamwork from González, Oyarbide and Neylan. Saturday will be another tricky finish, with Sarpsborg’s final circuit (128km) including a more serious slope to the line.