Nordhagen keeps surprising himself: 'The numbers in training weren't anything special'

Jørgen Nordhagen lost 1 minute 47 seconds to yellow jersey wearer and stage winner Tadej Pogačar in stage four of the Tour de Romandie. He had been half a minute off the Slovenian before the stage, and any hope of an overall win has now faded. Despite the time loss, Visma | Lease a Bike look back on a successful day — and their ambitions for the final stage are higher than ever.

Stage four was a hard mountain stage to Charmey. The decisive blow was struck on the day's final climb, the Jaunpass. There Tadej Pogačar accelerated, and with a second, later surge he dropped Florian Lipowitz from his wheel. By that point Nordhagen had already been shed, eventually crossing the line fourteenth in a large chasing group.

Nordhagen is satisfied with his stage. "I felt really good," he tells CyclingPro.net. "When they went, it was really too hard — with the two best riders. I was fairly happy that Lenny [Martinez] was also at his limit, so we could ride together. But we talked, and it was hard to stay ahead as a duo. So we waited for the second group. If it had been an uphill finish, the result would have been better. But I'm still up there in the classification."

The Norwegian wanted to work with Martinez but quickly realised the tactics needed adjusting. "At first we said: 'Let's go for it together' — but the group wasn't far behind us. We decided it was smart to wait with the valley coming up. If we'd kept riding, it would have been less tactical, perhaps. But it was a good move."

Despite the time loss, Nordhagen still sits fourth in the classification, just seven seconds behind third-placed Martinez. There is still everything to play for for the 21-year-old climber, who had not expected to ride this well in Switzerland. "I'm a little surprised, yes. I've seen the numbers in training, and they weren't that special. But I'm glad I can repeat those numbers in a race."

Sports director Gaëtan Pons can see that his team leader still has every chance of something big in the final stage. Visma | Lease a Bike are aiming high. "Jørgen is feeling really good," the Luxembourger tells the team's website. "The original goal was a top-five finish, but if he can also reach the podium at this WorldTour level in Romandie, that would be great for his young career and shows a lot of positive things for this team."