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Follow us on GoogleAlexander Kristoff won the second stage of the Arctic Race of Norway. The strong Norwegian excelled in front of his home crowd, taking the final corner first, avoiding a crash by overall leader Corbin Strong and celebrating his victory by a bike length to spare. It was the 98th victory of Kristoff's career, who has never made a secret of his desire to reach 100 before the end of his career.
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It was Strong who had captured the first leader's jersey in the Norwegian stage race on Thursday with a powerful sprint. On Friday, there were more opportunities for the New Zealander from Israel-Premier Tech in the second stage, as the 166.5-kilometer stage to Sørreisa did not present too many difficulties. However, the gravel sections in the final meant that another sprint was not a certainty.
Morthen Wang Baksaas (Norwegian national team), Storm Ingebrigtsen (Coop-Repsol), and Georg Rydningen Martinsen (Lillehammer CK Continental) were the three Norwegians who accelerated from the start. Josh Burnett (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Jelle Johannink (Unibet Tietema Rockets) managed to catch up after a short chase, forming a leading group of five riders.
Just like the day before, there was not much space. The breakaway riders were kept close by the peloton, at a distance of about 2 to 3 minutes. The weather, on the other hand, was very different from the day before. The rain had stopped, and the sun was shining, so we no longer saw rain jackets, just short-sleeved jerseys on most of the riders.
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Jelle Johannink
Johannink drops back, but the leading group remains with five
At the front, the cooperation was not working well, and the pace set by Israel-Premier Tech and Uno-X in the peloton meant that the lead of the four front riders quickly decreased. We had already seen Johannink drop out of the leading group, but with 77 kilometers to go, Eirik Vang Aas (Coop-Repsol) was determined to make it a group of five again.
The Norwegian did indeed catch up with the four leaders, as the gap at that point was only one minute. The peloton was quite happy with five men at the front, and so the gap to the leading group grew to more than two minutes again. Arriving at the final circuit, the riders had to tackle the gravel section at Sorreisa three times, with the last time coming a good 20 kilometers from the finish.
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Israel-Premier Tech catches brave breakaway riders, Vermaerke goes for it
With 20 kilometers to go and two of the three gravel sections behind them, Israel-Premier Tech had everything under control. The leading group of four—Baksaas had been dropped—had only a 20-second lead over the fast-approaching peloton. Surely a mass sprint was inevitable?
Abram Stockman tried to prevent this on behalf of the Tietema team, and Kevin Vermaerke of Picnic PostNL joined the Belgian on the final gravel section. There was no cooperation on the uphill section, as Vermaerke had some energy left in the tank and left Stockman behind.
The American, who finished third in the last two editions in Norway, made a brave attempt to stay away, but Uno-X Mobility eventually closed the gap. And it was worth it, because Kristoff clearly had good legs and was put in an ideal position. With Strong out of contention after a crash on the left, the Norwegian won by a bike length in front of his home crowd.
Results stage 2 Arctic Race of Norway 2025
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- Eight riders told to go for stages, and nobody gets one—hard to know what the plan was there. It’ll be interesting to see whether they pick a clear leader next time.bikebuffj10-11-2026
- Was Bernal’s 20th place really their best GC result? I thought he might have finished higher. Either way, it sounds like a rough Tour for the whole team.gearguru3310-11-2026
- Five days in breaks with no stage win is a painful stat. The team had chances, but they need to turn those opportunities into results.julien10-11-2026
- The Onley Vuelta example makes sense: a team with someone to rally around often looks much more cohesive. Hopefully INEOS can build on that rather than expecting a quick return to the Sky years.cadencekingm10-11-2026
- Thomas is right about the ambiguity. Eight riders all chasing stages can end up pulling in different directions, even if nobody’s deliberately working against anyone. They need a clearer plan once the GC leaders are out.robert6510-11-2026
- What a mess. The report makes it sound as though nobody properly explained the decision, and that’s hard to defend.jennifer1910-11-2026
- I’m still learning the rules: does moving left in a sprint automatically bring a penalty, or does it depend on whether the other rider is blocked? It sounds like Brand wasn’t impeded here.patriciaw10-11-2026
- A final decision still needs a proper explanation. If the federation’s complaint goes nowhere, I hope the officials at least review how they handled the riders afterwards.michael5410-11-2026
- Fair play to Lucinda for saying Marie had won fair and square. That kind of sportsmanship matters, especially after such a controversial decision.raceready710-11-2026
- Schreiber beat Brand on the road, so the jury needed to explain clearly why that slight deviation warranted relegation. Being cut off before she could give her account sounds appalling.lindae10-11-2026
