After dominating Lysebotn Opp Double Poling, Astrid Øyre SLIND and Andrew MUSGRAVE once again shone in Ålgård, both winning the BLINK Classics at the end of a highly competitive race!
Women’s race: a clash at the summit
The norwegian World Cup champion Heidi Weng gave a hard time to the long-distance specialist Astrid Øyre Slind, attacking in every uphill! But the Champion bib helder resisted and made the difference in the last kilometers, showing great strengh untill the finish line.
Heidi Weng takes second place, ahead of Emilie Fleten, a solid third who led the chase and repeatedly closed the gap on the top two.
Top 3 Women – BLINK Classics – 52 km:
- Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie/Norway, 2:11:20
- Heidi Weng, Norway, +0:00:51
- Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden/Norway, +0:01:22
Full results women: here
Men’s Race: Andrew Musgrave’s felt strong
In the men’s race, a breakaway quickly formed under the impetus of Einar Kalland-Olsen from Exsitec Ski Team. Four men broke away, then Kalland-Olsen, very aggressive on the climbs, broke away again to go solo for more than 20km before being caught by the peloton in the final lap. This effort earned him the title of Athlete of the Day!
With the peloton regrouped, the cards were reshuffled, and Andrew Musgrave, feeling particularly strong according to his own words, managed to make a difference in the final kilometers, taking it all the way to the finish line!
Eirik Augdal from Team Eksjöhus was the closest to follow him, securing second place.
The mass sprint for third place was won by the Frenchman Tomas Joly from Team Ramudden.
Top 3 Men – Lysebotn Opp Double Poling – 7.5 km:
- Andrew Musgrave, Great Britain/Team Aker Dæhlie, 1:58:56
- Eirik Sverdrup Augdal, Norway/Team Eksjöhus, +0:00:22
- Thomas Joly, France/Team Ramudden, +0:00:30
Full results men: here
Leaders and Distinctive Bib Holders
The first points of the season in the overall SPRINT standings have been awarded, and here are the leaders of the overall standings after the first two stages:
NEXT STAGE – Toppidrettsveka Hitra – August 14th
The Mitsubishi Electric World Classic Tour now heads to the beautiful Norwegian island of Hitra for its next stage, featuring a 56 km race through breathtaking landscapes!
Read more about Toppidrettsveka – Hitra here.
Pictures: BLINK // Trine Nessler Wichmann
