Faulkner was part of a group of five riders that made its way clear just after the first intermediate sprint, just over 40 kilometres into the 141.5 kilometre course from Halden to the finish in Sarpsbourg.
Anna Christian (Drops-Le Col s/b Tempur), Natalie van Gogh (Bingoal Casino-Chevalmeire), and Nina Buysman (Parkhotel Valkenburg) got away, joined soon after by Faulkner and Tiril Jørgensen (Norway). The five escapees built a maximum advantage of four minutes and 30 seconds as the peloton were content to reel them back in gradually.
The race was relatively uneventful until the riders reached the three final circuits within Sarpsbourg of a 6.7-kilometre finishing lap.
The main bunch had ramped up their chase of the breakaway coming into the first of the three laps, and with 35 kilometres to go it looked like the catch was imminent, with just 25 seconds lead for the five early escapees.
Christian was the first to attack, with Faulkner bridging over, then dropping the British rider on the uphill grind to the finish line for the first of three passes. Faulkner from there was off on her own and the peloton simultaneously slowed the chase, bunching at the front as Christian and Faulkner dangled ahead.
Faulkner was able to use the lull to push out her lead to a minute with two laps and just over 13 kilometres remaining, at which point the peloton woke up and started to try and drag the Canadian back. Faulkner had other plans, and went through the start of the final lap with just shy of 30 seconds lead.
At times, it looked nearly certain that the catch would be made, with just 11 seconds lead with 4 kilometres to go and still the final 400m kick up towards the finish line to come, but Faulkner dug deep and managed to hold onto her lead. A crash with just under three kilometres to go near the front of the peloton disrupted the chase slightly, with some of the big names including Coryn Rivera (Team DSM) and Marta Cavalli (FDJ) coming down in the crash.
Faulkner used up every second of advantage in the final run to the line, just crossing ahead of Susanne Andersen (Team DSM) and Alice Barnes (Canyon SRAM), even receiving the same time as the bunch.
"It was really close! I didn't know how far they were behind, but it didn't matter because I was going all-out," said Faulkner. "I knew the gap was one minute with two laps to go and 30 seconds with one lap to go, and I was like, 'with this pace, they'll catch me at the line, so I have to pick it up!'
"This is my first WorldTour win, so it is the biggest win of my career, and it was with a lot of support from my teammates."
What had been an opportunistic move to try and grab a jersey in the mountains category garned Faulkner a much bigger prize as she stunned the bunch to stay away on the final circuit.
"We thought it would be a bunch sprint at the finish, so my director told me to get in a break and go for the QOMs," said Faulkner. "The break stuck, and in the end, when the break blew up, I had a little bit left in me, so I gave it what I could. I am normally not good in technical finishes, so this was my only chance, and I went for it. I only started to believe in the win about two metres from the finish line."
Faulkner leads the race by four seconds ahead of Andersen with Barnes a further two seconds adrift after time bonuses from the finish were awarded.
The Ladies' Tour of Norway continues on SBS OnDemand tonight from midnight, with a 145.2 km race from Askim to Mysen run over a similar course with a finishing circuit that includes a short, punchy climb.
