Nordhagen reflects on Romandie and looks ahead: 'This race has shown I can compete with the very best'

A podium place just eluded him — but fourth in a high-quality Tour de Romandie is a result worth writing home about for Jørgen Nordhagen. The young Visma | Lease a Bike Norwegian looked back on a successful week — but what does the rest of the year hold for the top talent?

Seven seconds: that was the gap Nordhagen needed to close on third-placed Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) in the final stage to reach the podium. The Norwegian gave everything on the final climb — but without success. "It was a difficult finale. I tried to drop Lenny, but he was strong, so that wasn't possible," he told CyclingProNet.

On his team's website, the young talent was in similar terms. "I did everything I could to put Martinez under pressure in the final kilometres, but it proved impossible. He was enormously strong in the finale."

The finish itself was not fully to Nordhagen's liking. "I think the climb was hard, but I prefer something a bit steadier. Here it was a one-minute kick, and then he didn't want to keep riding. So we kind of stopped. I understand him — if I were in his position I wouldn't ride either. That's fair."

"The final climb was very irregular: the tempo was high in some sections while it dropped off completely in others," Nordhagen repeated. "I perform better in long, steady efforts. The last 500 metres were too punchy for me," was his conclusion.

Even so, fourth in the overall is an excellent result for the still-only 21-year-old. "It definitely gives you confidence when you can compete with some of the best riders. This race has shown that I have what it takes to fight with the very best in the world. There are still two guys who stand out above the rest, though, so I'll need to go home and train more."

What comes next for Nordhagen — who is on course for a Grand Tour debut later this year at the Vuelta a España — is still unclear. "We'll see. Maybe we'll change the plans a little. During next week we'll make a plan, together with the team," the Norwegian concluded.