Liv Racing is on its way to Northern Europe for the Ladies Tour of Norway. This four-day stage race, part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar, has for the first time an uphill finish (in the third stage). Liv Racing has five strong riders in the selection: Alison Jackson, Evy Kuijpers, Jeanne Korevaar, Sabrina Stultiens and Sofia Bertizzolo.
The stage race in the Østfold region will start on Thursday with a 138.6 kilometres stage from Halden to Sarpsborg. Three local circuits await in the finale. The second stage goes over 141.6 kilometres from Askim to Mysen, with a slightly uphill finish. This should normally be ideal for the punchy sprinters.
New to the Ladies Tour of Norway this year is the uphill finish. In the third stage (151.3 kilometres) the riders will start in Drammen and climb in the last 10 kilometres towards the ski resort in Norefjell. The total difference in altitude in the third stage is 2,746 metres. Especially the final climb will register a significant elevation on the Garmin computer.
The four-day race finishes with stage number four, a 150.4 kilometre race between Drøbak and Halden. The stage ends with three shorter laps in the centre of Halden.
“Part of the peloton was also active in Tokyo and may have taken a short break for the remainder of the season, while another big part has been working specifically towards this and is ready to put down some great results. I hope to go far in the general classification and in the individual stages and will do everything to get a high ranking. I need that confirmation for myself”, said Sofia Bertizzolo.
“In general I expect that those who have made the World Championships a goal will be eager to prove themselves in Norway. All four stages are long. Three of them you can more or less compare with the courses of the Flemish spring classics. Flanders will of course host the world championships in a month and a half. The often unpredictable weather in Norway – will we get rain or not? – will also play a role.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos