Favorites stage 1 Tour of Norway 2023 | Who dares to predict such a stage for us?

After a prologue with impressive views in Bergen, it's time for the first road stage of the Norwegian stage race. Due to the meteorological conditions, the stage has been significantly shortened, and the total distance is now only 85 kilometers instead of the original 207 kilometers. The stage will be raced between Røldal and Hovden. Let IDLProCycling.com walk you through everything you need to know about this stage!

Course stage 1 Tour of Norway 2023

Due to harsh weather conditions, the flat approach phase and the climb of Seljestadjuvet (18.6 kilometers at 5.9 percent), the toughest (and only) mountain of this Tour of Norway, have been removed from the course. As a result, the race will start in Røldal, the town that was initially meant to serve as the end of the descent from Seljestadjuvet. From Røldal, an uphill section will have to be conquered, followed by the riders continuing on the Norwegian high plateaus.

At thirty kilometers from the finish, the final significant uphill section begins with the Bykleheivegen. This hill has a length of 3.5 kilometers and an average gradient of 7.5 percent. After that, there are approximately 25 kilometers of flat terrain towards the finish location in Hovden, where the last few kilometers have a slight uphill section towards the ski resort of that place.

During the final kilometer, the course climbs steeply.  

Times
Start: 12:45 p.m.
Finish: 6:00 p.m.

Weather stage 1 Tour of Norway 2023

The weather is not really favoring the riders on Saturday. Of course, the significant shortening of the stage didn't just come out of nowhere. In the finishing town of Hovden, temperatures of around 11 degrees Celsius are expected, along with heavy rains. Therefore, expect cold wind chill temperatures as well. In the final section, the riders will mostly face headwinds.

Favorites stage 1 Tour of Norway 2023

Originally, the first road stage featured a typical Tour of Norway route, with a course that was atypical for cycling. To win here, you needed to be able to climb, ride aggressively on the flats, and have a strong sprint. Are there many riders who possess all these qualities? Not really, unless you happen to be someone like Wout van Aert or Ethan Hayter. However, the fact that the Seljestadjuvet has been removed from the route offers opportunities for the sprinters.

INEOS Grenadiers already displayed its strength on Friday, with Ben Tulett and Magnus Sheffield taking the top two spots. With riders like Luke Plapp, Joshua Tarling and Connor Swift, they have the power to defend the leader's jersey. But whether they will break the race apart again with such a lead, risking a counter-attack, remains to be seen. Jumbo-Visma's Attila Valter and Johannes Staune Mittet will definitely be motivated for sporting revenge.

We should also keep an eye on Trek-Segafredo, which saw Mathias Vacek and Thibau Nys finish in the top six in the prologue. And then there's Jasper Stuyven, who may have the fastest legs. Another Belgian rider who could go far is baroudeur Rune Herregodts, along with his teammates Mike Teunissen and Madis Mikhels. Representing Team DSM, we have Marco Brenner, Lorenzo Milesi and Kevin Vermaerke.

Other men who possess a sprint after a tough race include Rasmus Tiller and Tobias Halland Johannessen of Uno-X, not to mention Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe) and Alexander Kamp (Tudor). Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) has also shown this year that he can handle a climb, and he has good teammates in Georg Steinhauser, Jonas Rutsch and Odd Christian Eiking.

If - and the chances are certainly high - it becomes a celebration for the pure sprinters, we should also note the names of Jordi Meeus (BORA-hansgrohe), Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X) and Sean Flynn (Team DSM).

Favorites stage 1 Tour of Norway 2023, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) and Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Outsiders: Attila Valter (Jumbo-Visma), Ben Tulett (INEOS Grenadiers), Madis Mikhels (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Thibau Nys (Trek-Segafredo)
Longshots: Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers), Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Alexander Kamp (Tudor), Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Johannes Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Visma)

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