The riders were presented with a short but challenging 7.4-kilometre prologue to start the 12th edition of the Tour of Norway. The riders began their ascent of Mount Fløyen, a vicious 3.4-kilometre climb with an average gradient of almost nine percent, from Bergen, which served as the host city for the 2017 World Cycling Championships.

"I can be satisfied with that”, Valter said. "The fact that I was the last to start gave me a special feeling. It was one of the best 15 minutes of my life. Only the two Ineos riders were a little better.”

Valter had been in Andorra preparing for the next part of his season. "I was very curious to see how the form was. It is good to know that I am in good shape and that I can turn the work I have done into good results. Now I am looking forward to the following stages. I think we have a chance of winning the overall classification.”

Sport director Maarten Wynants: "Before the race, we aimed for a good result with both Attila and Johannes Staune-Mittet. We can be satisfied with third place. In retrospect, I believe Attila may have gotten off to a sluggish start. He was 11 seconds behind at the foot of the climb, but he certainly pulled out all the stops.”

"Today's outcome already holds promise for the next stage”, Wynants continued. "Then we have a stage with climbs over a thousand metres, with a lot of rain and temperatures around freezing. It will be a challenge.”