Third on day one, second on day two: Tom Van Asbroeck’s start to this year’s Arctic Race of Norway has been encouraging to say the least.
The Belgian rider, who won the final stage of this year’s Tour de la Provence in February, goes into Tuesday’s penultimate stage 10 seconds behind home favorite and GC leader Alexander Kristoff.
Van Asbroeck had to come from a long way back to challenge in Sunday’s opening stage into Rognan, where his long sprint almost paid off. In Monday’s second stage, he expertly got himself on Kristoff’s wheel for the finishing straight, but the positioning of the Norwegian’s teammate and lead-out man Magnus Cort prevented him from getting out into clean air.
This season has been one of Van Asbroeck’s most consistent of his career: he is now up to nine top-10 finishes in 2024, with these latest two podium finishes also sitting alongside his second in Classic Loire Atlantique and third in Cholet Agglo Tour back in March.
