Après le one-man show de Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) yesterday, the sprinters met on the 4th stage of the Tour of Norway this Friday. At the end of a course of 232.1 kilometers between Hovden and Kristiansand, it is the Austrian Marco Haller (Bora-Hansgrohe) who raised his arms to the sky. He won in a massive sprint ahead of the Briton Ethan Vernon (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) and Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materials). Haller hadn’t won since 2015. Overall, Remco Evenepoel retains his leader’s jersey with 46 seconds ahead of Australian Jay Vine (Alpencin-Fenix) and 1:24 over another Australian Luke Plapp (INEOS Grenadiers).
It only took regarding ten kilometers for a six-man breakaway to take the lead: Kamiel Bonneu was accompanied by the Spaniard Joel Nicolau, the Swede Lucas Eriksson, the Dane Frederik Muff, the New Zealander Shane Archbold and the Norwegian André Drege.
Their great adventure of more than 200 km came to an end little by little on the penultimate local circuit, 20 km from the finish line. The work of Intermarché-Wanty Gobert was no stranger to this. They had set out to ride 80 km from Kristiansand and received help from the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. Bonneu was the last to resist, but he was caught at km 221. The sprinters might therefore prepare their favorite exercise. Nathan Van Hooydonck tried once more to surprise them 2500m from the goal, without success.
Saturday the 5th and penultimate stage will offer a more eventful profile between Flekkefjord and Sandnes (181.7 km). This 11th edition ends on Sunday in Stavanger from where the start will be given and the finish judged following 149.3 km. We will then know the successor of the British Ethan Hayter.