VN news ticker: Ben Hermans wins Arctic Race of Norway; Marc Soler to UAE-Team Emirates
Here's what's making headlines on Sunday, August 8.
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Hermans wraps up Arctic Race of Norway overall
Belgian rider Ben Hermans (Israel Start-Up Nation) secured the overall title at the Arctic Race of Norway on Sunday, with Philipp Walsleben (Alpecin-Fenix) winning the fourth and final stage aheads of Niki Terpstra (TotalEnergies) into the town of Harstad. The two survived from the day’s early breakaway to contest for the win, while behind, Hermans stayed out of trouble to defend his race lead.
https://twitter.com/ArcticRaceofN/status/1424397324604919813
Hermans took his first GC victory since the 2019 Tour of Utah, and it comes as he is searching for a contract for 2022 and beyond. The overall win came one day after Hermans vaulted into the race lead by winning stage 3 into Malselv. The 35-year-old Hermans used his knowledge of the uphill finish into Malselv to win — he attacked with 500 meters to go and held off Odd Christian Eiking (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey.
“At the end, when I saw that they couldn’t attack me anymore, I knew they were finished and I thought it would be best to go for a long sprint,” Hermans said after taking stage 3. “I was actually surprised that there was still someone, Eiking, who came up on my side but I managed to hold him off to take the win.”
Arctic Race of Norway final GC
- Ben Hermans, Israel Start-Up Nation, 15:04:02
- Odd Christian Eiking, Intermache-Wanty-Gobert, at 0:02
- Victory Lafay, Cofidis, at 0:06
- Samuele Battistella, Astana-Premier Tech, at 0:20
- Kristian Aasvold, Team Coop, at 0:26
Marc Soler leaves Movistar for UAE-Team Emirates in 2022
Spanish rider Marc Soler is headed to UAE-Team Emirates for 2022 after spending seven seasons at Movistar. Soler, 27, the 2018 winner of Paris-Nice, and one of Spain’s top GC riders, is joining the UAE squad on a two-year deal.
“I’m very pleased to be joining UAE-Team Emirates and looking forward to the new adventures and challenges ahead,” Soler said in a release. “I’m coming here with a lot of excitement and with a desire to work hard and enjoy this new chapter.”
Soler is the latest top rider to bolster the UAE-Team Emirates roster for 2022 and beyond. Last week it was announced that Portuguese talent João Almeida is joining the squad, alongside German sprinter Pascal Ackermann. The additions will strengthen Tadej Pogačar’s lineup for the 2022 Tour de France, where he comes in as the two-time defending champion.