Frenchman Axel Laurance scored a double blow at the Tour of Norway this Friday by winning the second stage to take the lead in the general classification. This is the fourth victory – the third this season – for the U23 world champion who plays for Mathieu van der Poel’s Belgian team Alpecin.
The 23-year-old French puncher won after a hill sprint ahead of Briton Ethan Hayter (INEOS). The Belgian Wout Van Aert, who returned to competition in Norway eight weeks after his heavy fall in A Travers la Flanders, finished 91st, more than ten minutes behind the winner.