Nordhagen solos to victory in GP Sportivi di Poggiana
Jørgen Nordhagen claimed an impressive solo victory in the Italian one-day race, GP Sportivi di Poggiana. The Norwegian, who will move up to the WorldTour team of Team Visma | Lease a Bike next year, rode the final 35 kilometers alone.
The race’s key moments came in the middle part, with a flat start and finale. Nordhagen knew he had to make his move when the road began to rise, and that’s exactly what he did. The young Norwegian attacked on the first climb, initially joined by another rider. They continued together until two more riders caught up with them.
"This boosts my confidence, and today's conditions confirm that I can handle the heat well."
At that point, his teammates Matthew Brennan, Tomos Pattinson, Jonas Høydahl, and Dario Belletta had all already crashed. Brennan, Pattinson, and Høydahl didn’t return to the race, but Belletta did. At the front, Nordhagen attacked again, and once more, he was left with just one companion. On the final climb, he dropped his last rival and rode the final 35 kilometers solo. Behind him, Belletta sprinted to fifth place.
“I’m very happy to win a one-day race after my stage victory in the Tour Alsace at La Planche des Belles Filles,” Nordhagen said after the race. “This boosts my confidence, and today's conditions confirm that I can handle the heat well. I knew I couldn’t wait too long, so I went for it as soon as the climbs began. Afterwards, I heard from team director Robert Wagner that the group behind us had splintered significantly. So I didn’t hesitate to go solo on the final climb, even though it was still 35 kilometers to the finish. In the chasing group, Dario also did a great job protecting my attack.”
The victory in the GP Sportivi di Poggiana was Nordhagen's second win of the season. For Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development, it marked their ninth victory of 2024.
