It was Knut Knudsen who was last in the lead in the Giro d’Italia (around Italy). Together with the Tour de France (around France) and the Vuelta a España (around Spain), it forms the three major three-week races in cycling. Knudsen had the leader’s jersey in both 1975 and 1981 and on Tuesday it was Andreas Leknessund who wrote himself into Norwegian cycling history after a second place on Tuesday’s stage. – 42 years! That’s long enough, says Dag Erik Pedersen, who himself won three stages in the Giro d’Italia in the 80s. After the finish, tears also came for Leknessund, who with the pink leader’s jersey had his greatest day on the bike seat. In an interview with Eurosport shortly after the finish, Leknessund was told that it was official that he had taken over the leader’s jersey. – It is super special for me. Of course I went for the win, but knew that pink was also possible, says Leknessund to Eurosport. PREVIOUS NORMAN IN PINK: Knut Knudsen. Photo: NTB The 23-year-old caught the break on the fourth stage, which lasted all the way in. In the battle for the stage win, he showed strength on the last climb. With a couple of bumps on the way up he shook off one competitor after another and with one kilometer left of the hill he went solo. The Frenchman Aurélien Paret-Peintre got up to Leknessund a few hundred meters before the summit and thus three kilometers remained on easy terrain. HADDE LUKE: Andreas Leknessund seemed for a while to be on his way to a solo victory, but it just wasn’t enough for the Norwegian. Photo: LUCA BETTINI / AFP In the sprint for the stage win between the two, Paret-Peintre was the strongest, but it was still a big day for Leknessund, who drove into the pink leader’s jersey. – I had an attack where I gave everything to hook him off. My legs hurt, but it’s super special to ride in pink. That was the goal before the stage, but as everyone knows it is difficult. Cycling is tough, so to manage it is incredible, says Leknessund. Norwegian riders in the leader’s jersey in a three-week race The following Norwegians have worn the leader’s jersey in one of the three major three-week races (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España): Giro d’Italia: 1975: Knut Knudsen – two days 1981: Knut Knudsen – one day 2023: Andreas Leknessund – ? Tour de France: 2004: Thor Hushovd – one day 2006: Thor Hushovd – two days 2011: Thor Hushovd – seven days 2020: Alexander Kristoff – one day Vuelta a España: 2006: Thor Hushovd – three days 2021: Odd Christian Eiking – seven days Mile after mile with a breakaway battle After mass sprints on the last two stages of the Giro d’Italia, it became clear early on that there were several teams who wanted a breakaway victory on the fourth stage of the race. Leknessund and teammate Harm Vanhoucke were among those who tried countless times, but time and time again it was also driven in again. Rogalander Sven Erik Bystrøm (Intermarché Circus Wanty) was among those who closed one of the gaps to a breakaway group with Leknessund. But in the descent down from the stage’s first categorized climb, Passo delle Crocelle, Leknessund attacked again. When the riders came down to the bottom, after 85 kilometers of driving, the break of seven riders was established. EMPTY IN THE LEGS: Leknessund had no strength left to do anything about the sprint to Paret-Peintre. Photo: JENNIFER LORENZINI / Reuters Of them, Leknessund was best placed in the summary. – I want to try to get in the breach. If I get there, I will think about the stage win and the maglia rosa (the pink leader’s jersey) is also there (in the pot). It won’t be easy, but I will try, Leknessund himself told Discovery before the stage. The Norwegian was one minute and 40 seconds behind overall leader Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) before the stage. The Belgian team controlled the distance up to the break of between three and a half and four minutes for a long time, but before the last climb of the stage it was quieter. Into the last hill, Colle Molella (9.7 kilometers à 6.1 per cent), the break had nearly five minutes down to the field. The top there was only three kilometers from the finish line and for Leknessund the day ended with a pink leader’s jersey. Bride king in 2022 Leknessund has for a long time been known as one of the greatest Norwegian cycling talents. In 2017, he won gold in the tempo in the junior EC and as a 20-year-old he won his first NM gold as a senior when he won the NM tempo in 2019 – which was followed up with EC gold in tempo in the U23 class the year after. Tromsøværing signed with the world tour team Team DSM before the 2021 season. After a slightly variable debut season in the professional team, he had a breakthrough last year. He then took the first victory of his career in a world tour with victory on the second stage of the Tour de Suisse after a solo break. Afterwards, he also got the chance in the Tour de France, where he showed himself on several of the stages in the latter half, before he won the Arctic Race of Norway in the late summer after another breakthrough victory on the last stage. And it was again in breach that the opportunity presented itself for Leknessund on Tuesday and which means that he now leads the Giro d’Italia, 28 seconds ahead of Evenepoel. * The Giro d’Italia is broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+.
ttn-69
Andreas Leknessund took over the leader’s jersey in the Giro d’Italia – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
