7th August – Stage 1: Borkenes – Harstad
The Arctic Race of Norway got underway today with a challenging 182km stage from Borkenes to Harstad, featuring four categorised climbs and a rolling finale. Early in the stage, a six-man breakaway formed. Romain Combaud was part of the break, representing the team well in the move and helping to control the day’s dynamic. The breakaway was gradually reeled in as the pace picked up approaching the final categorised climb. Just after the summit, with 30km to go, everything came back together.
Coming into the final, our riders positioned themselves well near the front of the peloton, staying alert on the technical approach and preparing for the demanding finale. On the uphill finish, Kevin Vermaerke was our first rider across the line after a strong ride through tough weather conditions. In the general classification, Combaud sits in fourth place thanks to bonus seconds picked up at the intermediate sprints.
After the stage Combaud said: “It was a tough day. The plan was to be in the break, and we did a really good job early on. I managed to make it into the move. While I was up there, I picked up some bonus seconds to put myself in a good position on GC, which gives us a strong card to play for tomorrow’s stage with the gravel sections. For the guys who weren’t in the break, the goal was to protect Kevin and Bjorn for the final, and they did a great job with that. After I took the six bonus seconds, I tried to save as much energy as possible so I could hold position in the bunch once we got caught. Overall, it was a good day for me and for the team. We just missed out on a result at the end – the finale was a bit hectic – but we’ve got three more stages to go. With Kevin and Bjorn we can aim for something nice, and for myself, we’ll take it day by day. Why not go for a good result?”