Powering home at the end of a cold, grey, rainsplattered day in Gap, Thor Hushovd kicked for the line, threw his arms skywards and continued Garmin-Cervélo’s remarkable Tour de France. The big Norwegian outsprinted countryman Edvald Boasson Hagen and team-mate Ryder Hesjedal to the line, grabbing his second stage win and the team’s fourth in this year’s Tour.
As a rider who was frustrated by how his early season went, this year’s Tour is proving to be a perfect antidote to those feelings. He hoped beforehand that things would go as strongly as they have done but, as many athletes know, there is often a difference between goals and achievements, targets and triumphs. This time things have clicked perfectly though, and he’s on a roll.
“It is true this Tour is going very well,” he said after the stage, savouring his third triumph of the season. “I was very strong already at the very beginning of the race, but I didn’t win the stages that I thought I could win such as the stage to Lisieux, where Edvald Boasson Hagen won. But even if I did not win my stage at the beginning of the Tour, I was there all the time and I also wore the maillot jaune.
“I’ve now won two stages…in my head I thought I had a chance [to do that], and it has 100% succeeded. Until now, everything goes well. I have put a lot of concentration and energy into it, so that’s the reason.”
Hushovd and Hesjedal were part of an eleven man group which slipped away 91 kilometres into the stage. They eked out a maximum lead of over six minutes on the main bunch, which was more preoccupied with keeping safe and as fresh as possible before the heavy stages to come. The final climb of the Col de Manse would be lit up with attacks by the main contenders, but by then the break was far enough ahead to fight for the win.
Hesjedal played his hand on the second category climb, going ahead of lone leader Mikhail Ignatyev and trying to extend his advantage.
Hushovd explained afterwards how things played out, saying that he had hoped that his Canadian team-mate would get further ahead.
“There were attacks from the bottom of the climb where I was expecting Hesjedal to follow them, but it didn’t happen,” he detailed. “Then he made a good pace to close the gap. I was on his wheel and I felt he was going faster and faster. He was kind of waking up. I gave him a gap and he had a chance… He was clear with a few guys in the front and then he attacked them, and was alone.”
So far, so good. However his compatriot put a spanner in the works when he kicked clear in pursuit, forcing Hushovd to respond. “Edvald attacked and tried to close him down. It was kind of the plan that Hesjedal would go on the climb and do his race, and I could follow the attacks behind to sit on the wheels and save energy.
“When Edvald attacked after him, I was on sitting on his wheel. Of course I feel sorry for him - he is a good friend and my countryman…it’s hard that I had to race against him like this, but it is part of the sport. I have to think about my team and my team-mate in front.”
Once the duo reeled in Hesjedal, it immediately gave an advantage to Hushovd. He’s a similar rider to Boasson Hagen in that he can both sprint and fare well on tough courses; having two Garmin-Cervélo riders in the three man lead group suggested that their win was by far the most likely outcome.
“When we both caught him on the descent, it was not easy [for Boasson Hagen] to do anything,” he said. “Edvald was isolated in the last kilometres, and I think I surprised him when I opened the sprint.”
That’s certainly how it appeared, with the younger Norwegian looking back several times to check the location of the elder but missing out on Hushovd’s kick to the line. He tried to respond once the move was made, but it was too late; his chance of a second stage win was gone, seized by another.
Either way the result was huge for their country, with the two showing their class on what was grim, gritty day into Gap.