Spanning across the southeast region of Østfold in Viken county, the 7th edition of the Ladies Tour of Norway was held this year from August 12-15. The athletes in this world-class bicycle race compete as teams of up to 6 cyclists, often riding close to each other to take advantage of drafting, and use a variety of other tactics to reduce drag and increase speed. This year’s race featured 18 teams, crewed by top competitors from all over the world.
The race was divided into four stages, averaging about 145 km/90 miles long, each being held a day apart. Stage 1 started in the border city of Halden and ended in coastal Sarpsborg, stage 2 stretched from Askim to Mysen, stage 3 from Drammen to the ski resort in Norefjell, and stage 4 wound from Drøbak back to Halden. All routes undulated uphill and downhill, but stage 3 was especially challenging. It boasted the event’s first-ever mountaintop finish, with a total climb in elevation of 2,746 meters / 9,000 feet, most of that climb taking place in the last 10 kilometers/6 miles of the course.
After securing a major lead by being first to the summit of stage 3, Olympic gold and silver medalist Annemiek van Vleuten of the Netherlands was the ultimate winner of the 2021 Ladies Tour of Norway. South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio took second, American Kristen Faulkner finished third, and Australian Chloe Hosking, who had just recovered from Covid-19, whipped in at 4th.
2021 will be the last year for the Ladies Tour of Norway. Its organizers are concocting an epic six-day race called the Battle of the North, which will feature stages in Norway, Demark and Sweden. Keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to August 2022.
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