Edvald Boasson Hagen gave Dimension Data their second win of the day when he won the opening stage of Tour of Norway in Asker yesterday.
His victory came minutes after Omar Fraile won the eleventh stage of Giro d’Italia.
The Norwegian champion, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, finished in 4:14:01.
He was followed by Tosh Van Der Sande of Lotto Soudal and Simon Gerrans for Orica-Scott.
Edvald Boasson Hagen won the opening stage of Tour of Norway in Asker yesterday. Photo: Stiehl Photography
With 25km left of the 170km opening stage, many tried to make a move but it was Ben O’Connor who finally got away with 10km to go.
His move allowed Boasson Hagan to sit back and allow the other teams to bring him back, which they did just before the line.
Having maintained his momentum, the Norwegian made his move and claimed victory on the line.
“Here in Norway we had a special final, we knew it would be a sprint but it was all uphill,” said Dimension Data’s Sport Director Alex Sans Vega.
“Teams like Orica had good options for today so we didn’t want to take responsibility too early.
“We let the break go and when they got to eight minutes, Cannondale, Orica and our guys all started working to reduce the gap.
“Ben was in a tricky move in the final and he was only caught with 2km to go. This was good for us though because our guys could prepare Edvald for the sprint.”
