Arctic Race of Norway – DS Kjell Carlström «We certainly gave a good impression»

Martin Elmiger took 5th place just 15 seconds behind Simon Spilak (Katusha), who won the queen stage of the Arctic Race of Norway.  This placing compliments two other top-10 finishes (Martin Elmiger’s 4th in the first stage and Sébastien Hinault’s 6th in the second stage) that the Swiss team has racked up in Norway not far from the Arctic Circle.  The race, organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), has made full use of the breathtaking and unique scenery of the region.

The team is quite satisfied with the results considering the adverse circumstances that forced both Sondre Holst Enger and Roger Kluge not to take the start of the third stage.  Both riders were taken to the hospital in Tromsö to have further tests conducted following the heavy crash they suffered on the previous day with 8 kilometers to go to the finish.

The Norwegian neo-pro complained of severe back pain while the 28 year old German was struggling to breath properly, in addition to suffering from numerous abrasions.

Reduced to four riders, the Swiss team led by Kjell Carlström, still managed to show their strength in the final thanks to the efforts of the affable Brändle-Elmiger duo.  Carlström appreciated the reaction of his riders and stressed their pride and their desire to do well.

“This morning after Sondre and Roger had to pull out, the tactic was to do everything possible to put Martin Elmiger in a good position to reach the stage’s summit.  Matthias gave everything in the final kilometers and Martin was able to snag himself a good 5th place.  Since he’s recovering, Thomas Löfkvist can’t be too much help at this point in the race.  Whether we like it or not, we certainly gave a good impression.  And we still have one more day where we can play to win the stage.”