Description
August 16, 2026
13th Arctic Race of Norway 2026 🇳🇴 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 4 – Sortland – Narvik : 190,5 km
Arctic Race of Norway is a UCI 2.Pro stage race run across coastal roads,
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August 16, 2026
13th Arctic Race of Norway 2026 🇳🇴 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 4 – Sortland – Narvik : 190,5 km
Arctic Race of Norway is a UCI 2.Pro stage race run across coastal roads, rolling northern terrain, and occasional short climbs that create a cold-weather, wind-exposed race environment. The route often combines wide open sections with compact, punchy stages, where crosswinds, rain, and changing light can make positioning as important as pure climbing strength. Riders face a constant need to stay near the front, especially on exposed roads where echelons can form and break the peloton apart. Race dynamics usually shift between controlled pacing on flatter stages, aggressive breakaways in rolling terrain, and selective accelerations on uphill finishes or short technical climbs. Typical stage profiles may include seaside roads, small mountain passes, and finales with enough rise to reduce the sprint field. Finishes can come as bunch sprints, reduced-group contests, or late solo moves depending on the stage’s exposure and accumulation of effort. The race is shaped by weather, timing, and the ability to respond quickly to sudden changes in the road.
Thomas Silva (XDS-Astana) sealed the overall victory at the Arctic Race of Norway on Sunday, marking his closest rival Lennart Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) all the way up the final climb to the ski station in Narvik.
Silva rider had claimed the leader’s jersey on stage 3, and now becomes the first Uruguayan to win the ‘race above the Arctic Circle’.
Meanwhile, Cedrik Christophersen (Unibet Rose Rockets) waited until the GC contenders were watching each other to launch a blistering attack inside of one kilometre to go on the steep climb to take his first professional victory on home soil.
The Norwegian overtook Thomas Gachinard (TotalEnergies) who had launched his own solo on the bottom of the 3.2km ascent.
Crossing the line three seconds later, Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) took second on the stage ahead of Silva.
Silva topped the general classification with 14 seconds on Van Eetvelt and 25 seconds on Alessandro Pinarello (NSN).
How it unfolded
The race above the Arctic Circle concluded with a hilly stage 4, running 190.5 kilometres from Sortland to the ski station in Narvik with a decisive final climb of 2.3 kilometers at an average gradient of 8.6%.
The pace was high early on with several riders attempting to break away, but no group managed to gain a significant advantage in the first 60 kilometers until a trio finally managed to pull away.
The escapees – Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla) and Uno-X Mobility pair Breiner Henrik Pedersen and Adne Holter – pushed the gap up to maximum of 2:20, making Foldager the virtual leader on the road halfway through the stage. The three riders worked well together, with Foldager taking the maximum mountains points on the Balteskaret and Skoddebergvatnet climbs.
The peloton, led by XDS-Astana and with Caja Rural adding riders in the final 15 kilometres, reduced the gap to the lead trio to 1:06 with 10 kilometres to go.
With seconds ticking down, the three riders went all-in, with Pedersen going wide on a corner, having to bunnyhop the curb but staying on his bike as the gap was down to 20 seconds on the approach to the final climb.
As the road started to go uphill, Gachinard attacked and bridged up to the early breakaway with only Pedersen briefly staying with him. With two kilometres to go, Gachinard zipped up his jersey but the peloton was not giving up, slowly crawling closer.
Christophersen powered away with 800 metres remaining, and held on to take the stage win.
Results :
Final General Classification :
 ME - Stage 4 </strong> - Sortland - Narvik : 190,5 km
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Arctic Race of Norway is a UCI 2.Pro stage race run across coastal roads, rolling northern terrain, and occasional short climbs that create a cold-weather, wind-exposed race environment. The route often combines wide open sections with compact, punchy stages, where crosswinds, rain, and changing light can make positioning as important as pure climbing strength. Riders face a constant need to stay near the front, especially on exposed roads where echelons can form and break the peloton apart. Race dynamics usually shift between controlled pacing on flatter stages, aggressive breakaways in rolling terrain, and selective accelerations on uphill finishes or short technical climbs. Typical stage profiles may include seaside roads, small mountain passes, and finales with enough rise to reduce the sprint field. Finishes can come as bunch sprints, reduced-group contests, or late solo moves depending on the stage’s exposure and accumulation of effort. The race is shaped by weather, timing, and the ability to respond quickly to sudden changes in the road.
Thomas Silva (XDS-Astana) sealed the overall victory at the Arctic Race of Norway on Sunday, marking his closest rival Lennart Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) all the way up the final climb to the ski station in Narvik.
Silva rider had claimed the leader’s jersey on stage 3, and now becomes the first Uruguayan to win the ‘race above the Arctic Circle’.
Meanwhile, Cedrik Christophersen (Unibet Rose Rockets) waited until the GC contenders were watching each other to launch a blistering attack inside of one kilometre to go on the steep climb to take his first professional victory on home soil.
The Norwegian overtook Thomas Gachinard (TotalEnergies) who had launched his own solo on the bottom of the 3.2km ascent.
Crossing the line three seconds later, Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) took second on the stage ahead of Silva.
Silva topped the general classification with 14 seconds on Van Eetvelt and 25 seconds on Alessandro Pinarello (NSN).
<strong>How it unfolded</strong>
The race above the Arctic Circle concluded with a hilly stage 4, running 190.5 kilometres from Sortland to the ski station in Narvik with a decisive final climb of 2.3 kilometers at an average gradient of 8.6%.
The pace was high early on with several riders attempting to break away, but no group managed to gain a significant advantage in the first 60 kilometers until a trio finally managed to pull away.
The escapees – Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla) and Uno-X Mobility pair Breiner Henrik Pedersen and Adne Holter – pushed the gap up to maximum of 2:20, making Foldager the virtual leader on the road halfway through the stage. The three riders worked well together, with Foldager taking the maximum mountains points on the Balteskaret and Skoddebergvatnet climbs.
The peloton, led by XDS-Astana and with Caja Rural adding riders in the final 15 kilometres, reduced the gap to the lead trio to 1:06 with 10 kilometres to go.
With seconds ticking down, the three riders went all-in, with Pedersen going wide on a corner, having to bunnyhop the curb but staying on his bike as the gap was down to 20 seconds on the approach to the final climb.
As the road started to go uphill, Gachinard attacked and bridged up to the early breakaway with only Pedersen briefly staying with him. With two kilometres to go, Gachinard zipped up his jersey but the peloton was not giving up, slowly crawling closer.
Christophersen powered away with 800 metres remaining, and held on to take the stage win.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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<strong>Final General Classification : </strong>
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