Favorites stage 2 Tour of Norway 2023 | Finish tailor-made for Schelling, Teunissen and Nys!

We're only on stage two, but already on day three. The Tour of Norway continues on Sunday with a 172.5-kilometer long stage from Valle to Stavanger, which IDLProCycling.com is happy to tell you all about! 

Route stage 2 Tour of Norway 2023

On the Sunday of Pentecost, the peloton departs from Valle for the penultimate stage of this Tour of Norway, heading towards Stavanger. This Norwegian city serves as the backdrop for the last two stages of the 2.Pro race, with the final day featuring an enhanced circuit in the same location.

After ten kilometers, we begin the ascent of Knuttjørn, immediately the toughest climb of the day. It stretches for 21.7 kilometers, with an average gradient of three percent. For seasoned professionals, this isn't particularly remarkable, although it should be noted that the first 3.4 kilometers have a 9.0 percent incline.

Afterwards, a long flat section follows, until we have to tackle the Seldal climb at fifty kilometers from the finish. However, at 4.8 kilometers long with an average gradient of 5.5 percent, it is usually not tough enough to drop the fast riders, so we expect a sprint among the strong riders.

However, those riders will need to be able to climb well because the last kilometer ramps up at a nasty 5.5 percent gradient. It's a typical punchy finish in the skating city of Stavanger, where the classic-style riders can showcase their abilities.

The last kilometer still goes uphill quite steeply.

Times
Start: 1:40 p.m.
Finish: 6:00 p.m. 

Weather stage 2 Tour of Norway 2023

We're in Scandinavia, so the riders should be grateful that the weather will be dry. However, they should also brace themselves for a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius and strong gusts of wind coming from the sea. This means that they will have a tailwind in the final section, but for the majority of the race, they will have crosswinds. Caution, drafters!

Favorites stage 2 Tour of Norway 2023

For Sunday's stage, we'll be looking for punchers, who have already shown their strength in the first stage, won by Mike Teunissen. The Dutchman of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty should definitely be able to handle a finish like this, and we wouldn't be surprised if he competes for the victory in Stavanger once again.

However, we should not underestimate the boys over at Trek-Segafredo. Thibau Nys has already finished in the top five twice in this stage race, and would love to add a stage win to his record. With a finish tailored to his abilities, Nys will undoubtedly be excited. Add to this the support of riders such as Jasper Stuyven and Mathias Vacek, and you have a top contender for the win.

Normally, this would also be a finish suited for Tosh Van Der Sande, but he finished in the last peloton on Friday, along with Tim van Dijke, both representing Jumbo-Visma. Therefore, we are considering Mick van Dijke and Attila Valter as stronger contenders, although things could still well be a bit tougher for the latter. Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck) should typically feel comfortable in this kind of finish. The same goes for Uno-X's strong rider Rasmus Tiller and his teammate Tobias Halland Johannessen.

Magnus Sheffield and Ben Tulett will certainly want to defend their good positions in the overall classification, while in the first stage, we also saw that Tobias Lund Andersen, Marco Brenner (Team DSM) and Alexander Kamp of Tudor are in excellent shape. At EF Education-EasyPost, they will be devising a plan with Odd Christian Eiking, Marijn van den Berg and Georg Steinhauser. Meanwhile, Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe) hasn't lived up to our relatively high expectations so far. Will Sunday be his day?

Favorites stage 2 Tour of Norway 2023, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Thibau Nys (Trek-Segafredo) and Mike Teunissen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)
Outsiders: Alexander Kamp (Tudor), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) and Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe)
Longshots: Attila Valter (Jumbo-Visma), Rasmus Tiller, Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X), Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Ben Tulett (INEOS Grenadiers) and Tobas Lund Andersen (Team DSM)

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