Despite leading the Arctic Race of Norway after two stages, Alexander Kristoff is realistic enough to know that retaining the lead after stage 3 will be an uphill struggle.
Saturday’s stage from Senja to Målselv features a punishing final climb and should see the overall landscape at the race shift with the sprinters, such as Krsitoff, giving way to the more capable climbers.
In Kristoff’s Katusha ranks is the ideal candidate in Ilnur Zakarin, who won the Tour of Romandie and a stage of the Giro d’Italia earlier this year.
Kristoff remains in the lead, holding a two second advantage over compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen but with a gallery of climbers within touching distance of the race lead, Kristoff is resigned to the likely outcome of losing his jersey.
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Daniel Benson is the Editor in Chief at both Cyclingnews.com and BikePerfect.com. Based in the UK, he has worked within cycling for almost 15 years, and he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he has reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he runs the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.