Nordhagen, who will step up to the WorldTour team of Team Visma | Lease a Bike next season, attacked six kilometres from the summit and had an ideal pacer in teammate Colby Simmons. The young American, who had broken away shortly before, rode a tight pace and placed Nordhagen at the front of the race. Nordhagen caught up with the leader and continued solo.

After a three-kilometre solo, he was allowed to throw his hands in the air for the first time in his career. "This means a lot to me. Not only because it's the first victory, but also because this year has not really been lucky. I have fallen ill several times during a race this year. Being able to win a race like this now, feels very special."

Nordhagen says he did not dare to cheer until the last kilometre. "I noticed it was getting tougher and tougher, but fortunately the finish was not far away. When I saw the line, I was super happy." The young Norwegian will start tomorrow in the leader's jersey. "Our first goal was to win a stage, but now that we have the jersey, we are going to try and defend it."

Sports director Sierk Jan de Haan is happy that Nordhagen took his first win. "We saw a fantastic Jørgen today. Planche des Belles Filles doesn't lie and he clearly showed he was the strongest. This feels like a liberation for him. He has had some bad luck with illnesses this season, so the fact that he was able to break the pattern today helps him a lot."

Photo: Carl Israël