Backspin: Boasson Hagen ready for second round of Norwegian schedule and more ...

BALESTRAND, Norway — The reigning Norwegian road race and time trial champion Edvald Boasson Hagen looks to be in fine form heading into the second of two UCI Europe Tour races in as many weeks on home soil as he is a clear favourite for the 10th edition of the Tour des Fjords won by compatriot and two-time winner Alexander Kristoff, who is not racing due to his team’s participation in the recently upgraded Amgen Tour of California (2.UWT) instead.

The 30-year-old Dimension Data rider is fresh off two stage wins, as well as both the points and general classification jerseys from the Tour of Norway (UCI 2.HC). In fact, Boasson Hagen claimed his third overall race victory on Sunday, as well as a sprint victory over Australian Simon Gerrans (Orica-Scott) following a crash on the Oslo city circuit.

“I was really happy to manage to win and I’m really thankful for what the peloton did as well after I had the crash,” Boasson Hagen told Eurosport on Wednesday morning. “It was waiting for me to come back and have a chance to go for he sprint as well and that was nice.

“In general the team is riding really well and I am really happy with what we managed to do at the Tour of Norway.”

Now the three-time national road race champion and five-time Norwegian chrono king turns his attention to the five-stage Tour des Fjords.

“The form should be pretty well, but after the crash I also feel a bit stiff,” admitted Boasson Hagen from the stage 1 start at Sognefjord in front of the world famous Kviknes Hotel. “I was good on the last stage, but after a few days the body got a bit more stiff and sore, so not super today.

“The form is there and hopefully getting better each day of racing,” he continued. “I hope to contend at this race as well.”

Although the Tour de France is Boasson Hagen’s immediate goal, with the UCI Road Worlds being hosted in Bergen, Norway this September, the two-time Tour stage winner has one eye keenly targeting the rainbow jersey.

“I think the course suits and is going to fit me well,” claimed Boasson Hagen, who finished sixth last year in Qatar. “The climbs are difficult, but not too steep and the time trial is really hard, but it’s going to be a great course.

“It will be a completely different race than last year with different weather — everything. I’ve done a lot of worlds racing and I just have combine those experiences and do the best I can.”

New Zealand’s George Bennett made history with his general classification victory at the Amgen Tour of California on Sunday. According to national governing body Cycling New Zealand, Bennett became the first Kiwi to claim the general classification at a UCI WorldTour event.

It was Bennett’s first win at the WorldTour level. The ATOC, which just received WT status for 2017, has been around for a decade, including last year when Bennett finished seventh on GC just three months before he took 10th overall at the three-week Vuelta a España.

“I’m going to build on this,” said the former Cannondale (2014) and RadioShack (2011-2013) rider, who lifted the yellow jersey from stage 2 winner Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the penultimate stage time trial. “This victory will make a big difference to me. I want to back this up in Europe too in the future.”

Of note, German sprinter Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) managed only an opening day stage win, while reigning two-time world champion and 2015 race winner Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) was held in check with only one win as well.

In other news, Frenchman Jonathan Hivert (Direct Energié) took home the overall race win at the three-stage Vuelta a Castilla y Leon in Spain on Sunday.

The 32-year-old lifted the jersey from Stage 1 winner Alexander Evtushenko (Lokosphinx) after a win of his own the following day to cruise to a 38-second win on general classification over Spaniard Jaime Roson (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) on the final day, which was won by Movistar’s Carlos Barbero (ESP).

After two third-place stage finishes at the Tour de Yorkshire, which led to a third on GC and second on points at the three-day British race last month, Hivert’s stage 2 win was his first of the season and his overall victory was his first stage-race win since the 2013 Etoille de Besseges.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Kolss Cycling Team rider Vitaliy Buts also took home both the green points jersey and yellow leaders jersey on home soil at the Tour of Ukraine that same day.

The 2014 national road race champion donned the jersey after winning stage 2 and never released his grip in the four-stage Europe Tour race that finished in Kiev.