Arctic Race of Norway, stage 4 – Kjell Carlström – It would have been difficult to have done better –

THE STATEMENT

“It would have been very difficult to have improved on our placing during this final stage,” directeur sportif Kjell Carlström admitted at the end of the last stage of the Arctic Race of Norway.

THE ANALYSIS

As given by Kjell Carlström: “Our main goal was to secure the second place for Stef Clement at the finish. The stage for today was clearly designed for the sprinters, and so it would have been difficult to force any sort of changes in the overall standings. From the start, the break was launched very quickly, and then after that, everything was very tightly controlled. On the final circuit, we planned to put either Martin Elmiger or Reto Hollenstein into a late break. But both hesitated a touch too long before making a move, and so in the end, it was all too late and we finished with the predicted sprint. I am pleased for Stef and his second place. Let’s not forget though that the entire team had a very good race the whole week.”

THE PODIUM PLACE

Of Steff Clement. The 33 year old Dutchman was able to defend his second place position in the final stage without any difficulty, and thus secured IAM Cycling its 48th podium of the year, which sadly is its final season. “Defending this second place was about as good as I could hope for today. The race was super-fast, and I was there in the final sprint, but I couldn’t really expect to do anything special. So I am happy with my final position.”

THE TOP-10

Achieved by Martin Elmiger and Reto Hollenstein. The two Swiss cyclists showed that they are still very strong with a 4th and 9th place, respectively, in the overall classification at the Arctic Race of Norway. Combining their performances with Stef Clement’s 2nd place in the overall was enough to boost the team into second place in the team standings, though on the same time as the category winners, Team Sky. “Even if I just barely missed the podium, I am particularly happy with my current form, which makes me very confident for my upcoming races. I hope to chalk up some good results that can prove me interesting for a new team next year since I am very motivated to continue racing in 2017,” Martin Elmiger said after the race. His teammate Reto Hollenstein also had a positive experience. “I recovered well after the Tour de France, and felt very good in training last week. I tried to race aggressively here this week, and was active during the most important phases of this race. So I can certainly be satisfied.”

Pictures – A.S.O. / Arctic Race of Norway