There were many eerie similarities between the opening two stages of the Ladies Tour of Norway. Run over similar terrain and a similar length course, there was an early breakaway that was almost caught before a solo rider went clear, re-establishing a lead over the peloton, who tried to drag them back before the finish, to end up just metres short of the attacker.
And on both days, the runner-up came from Team DSM: Susanne Andersen on stage 1, Coryn Rivera on stage 2. It's a rare sight for a solo attacker to hold off the peloton on a sprint stage, and for it to happen twice in such dramatic circumstances two days in a row is a big surprise.
The winner today was Markus of Jumbo-Visma, who, unlike Faulkner the previous stage, attacked clear of the peloton with 45 kilometres to go to bridge over to the leading duo who formed the breakaway of the day; Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Trek-Segafredo) and Aude Biannic (Movistar Team).
The catch by the peloton was threatened with 23 kilometres to go to the finish, with just 13 seconds lead for the break when Markus attacked again to go clear at the head of the race.
She pushed her lead out to over a minute, but then the peloton, under the determined chase of Team DSM, began inexorably reeling Markus back in. Her advantage looked most precarious when it feel to 20 seconds with four kilometres to go, but Markus kept powering on and crested the uphill run to the line just ahead of a charging Rivera to take the victory, with Alison Jackson (Liv Racing) third.
“This victory means a lot to me. It’s my first World Tour victory”, an emotional Markus said. “I don’t get that many chances. It’s really cool that I can finish like this.
"I’ve experienced it once before that I was caught twenty metres from the finish, so I didn’t dare celebrate too early. I closed my eyes and tried to cross the finish line. I am so happy that I made it. I had been waiting for a victory for a few years. I am extremely happy about this.”
With the win, Markus took over the race lead from Faulkner, though she'll have her work cut out to hold onto top spot, with the summit finish to Norefjell ski resort beckoning for the supreme climbers in the race at the end of Stage 3.
The Ladies' Tour of Norway continues with Stage 3 on SBS OnDemand tonight from 2330 AEST, combining well with the opening time trial stage of the men's Vuelta a España, which starts at 0150 AEST on SBS VICELAND and SBS OnDemand.
