Ringerike GP - 2.5

Norway, April 27-May 1, 2000

Stage 5 - May 1: Hønefoss-Vikersund-Hønefoss 170.2 km

A perfect Polish ride

By Tomas Nilsson, cyclingnews.com correspondent

Thor Hushovd started the show after the first kilometre, on the first climb of the last stage. But quite soon he realised that the Pole Arkadiusz Wojtas was too strong: "I realized that the overall victory was out of reach on the first climb. Today I didn't have the legs. And the Pole is tremendously strong, really impressive", said last year's winner Thor Hushovd. He had to settle for second, two minutes down overall.

Hushovd's team Ringerike tried to put the pressure on Wojtas' Mroz but the Poles were in full control: "I really had the team with me today and all I really had to do was to go for it at the end of the stage. I chose to hang on to Hushovd because I knew that he was the strongest," said Arkaiusz Wojtas.

"We lost the race on the first stage. We shouldn't have let Wojtas get over two minutes. But we didn't know anything about him," said the Ringerike team director.

Learning is important. Frode Flesjå should also have learned something from the first stage when Gisle Vikøyr raised his hands to early only to be passed by Wojtas. This time Flesjå did the same to the benefit of Hushovd who won his third stage.

What can we learn about Arkadiusz Wojtas? He is ranked around 600 on the UCI list with 51 points, this is his first international victory, he was 5th in Topur of Japan and 18th in the Tour de Poitou-Charenete last year. He made his debut in 1998 but is not yet 23 years old so there might be more to learn about him in the future.

Photos of the race winner by Egil Mathisen can be found here

Results

1. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Ringerike SK                       4.12.34
2. Frode Flesjå (Nor) Sandnes SK
3. Corey Sweet (Aus) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde
4. Arkaiusz Wojtas (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn
5. Chris Wherry (Usa) Saturn
6. Michael Barry (Can) Saturn
7. Sebastian Wolski (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn
8. Tobias Lergård (Swe) Team Crescent
9. Mark Tune Matsen (Den) Team Odense
10. Christian Van Dartel (Ger) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde
11. Stig Kristiansen (Nor) TVK
12. Morten Hegreberg (Nor) Sandnes SK                       0.54
13. Jukka Heinikainen (Fin) Team Mälarenergi                1.26
14. Gisle Vikøyr (Nor) Ringerike SK
15. Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Team Crescent                     2.57
16. Magnus Albertsson (Swe) Team Mälarenergi
17. Kazimierz Stafiej (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn
18. Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Team Crescent
19. Kjetil G. Løitegaard (Nor) Østlandet
20. Are Andresen (Nor) Fana IL
21. Roy Sønsterud (Nor) Østlandet
22. Oscar Stenström (Fin) Team Mälarenergi
23. Dennis Rasmussen (Den) Denmark
24. Daniel Äschlimann (Swi) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde
25. Ari Højgård (Den) Denmark
26. Peep Mikli (Est) Piels-Gazelle                          4.33
27. Arv Hvam (Den) Team Odense
28. Martin Vestby (Nor) Sandnes SK
29. Per Martin Lund (Nor) Østlandet                         5.53
30. Lien Geir Magne (Nor) TVK
31. Frank W Hyrsting (Den) Denmark                          5.59
32. Petter Renäng (Swe) Team Crescent
33. Robertino Ivanov (Nor) Horten OCK                       6.10
34. Anders Michaelsen (Den) TVK
35. Peter Roger Iten (Den) Team Odense
36. Trond Kristian Schweder (Nor) Buskerud CK               6.42
37. Øyvind Dybing (Nor) Fana IL
38. Tore Bekken (Nor) Buskerud CK                           9.26
39. Jarle Fredriksen (Nor) Eidsvoll SK                      9.36
40. Rasmus Madsen (Den) Team Odense                        12.26
41. Raymond Gjæringen (Nor) Fana IL
42. Arno Bouten (Hol) Piels-Gazelle                        17.26
43. Tom Cordes (Hol) Piels-Gazelle
44. Alexander Kjær (Nor) Østlandet
45. Steffan Repshus (Nor) TVK
46. Roy Hegreberg (Nor) Horten OCK                         22.26
47. Ståle Sætervold (Nor) TVK                              27.26
48. Stig Sverre Holmsen (Nor) Horten OCK                   32.26
49. Jan Jespersen (Den) Denmark
50. Dariusz Skoczylas (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn
51. Johan Flodin (Swe) Team Crescent
52. Arno Van Zandbeck (Hol) Piels-Gazelle                  37.26
53. Jo Braadlie (Nor) Bærum OCK
54. Renars Lauzia (Lat) Latvia
55. Jean-Pierre Verstraten (Hol) Piels-Gazelle
56. Andris Speets (Lat) Latvia
57. Armands Baranovskis (Lat) Latvia
58. Nils Einar Grutle (Nor) Fana IL
59. Frank Hyldgård (Den) Denmark                           42.26
60. Tobias Nilsson (Swe) Team Mälarenergi


General classification:

1. Arkaiusz Wojtas (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn                  20.29.21
2. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Ringerike SK                          2.02
3. Chris Wherry (Usa) Saturn                                2.10
4. Corey Sweet (Aus) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde              2.16
5. Michael Barry (Can) Saturn                               2.18
6. Christian Van Dartel (Ger) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde     2.48
7. Sebastian Wolski (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn                     3.07
8. Mark Tune Matsen (Den) Team Odense                       3.10
9. Stig Kristiansen (Nor) TVK                               3.35
10. Morten Hegreberg (Nor) Sandnes SK                       4.44
11. Tobias Lergård (Swe) Team Crescent                      4.59
12. Gisle Vikøyr (Nor) Ringerike SK                         5.10
13. Daniel Äschlimann (Swi) Team Hohenfelder/Concorde       5.17
14. Ari Højgård (Den) Denmark                               5.48
15. Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Team Crescent                     6.42
16. Roy Sønsterud (Nor) Østlandet                           7.13
17. Dennis Rasmussen (Den) Denmark                          7.17
18. Kazimierz Stafiej (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn                   8.08
19. Jukka Heinikainen (Fin) Team Mälarenergi                8.11
20. Oscar Stenström (Fin) Team Mälarenergi                  8.50
21. Magnus Albertsson (Swe) Team Mälarenergi                8.51
22. Frode Flesjå (Nor) Sandnes SK                          10.03
23. Stefan Adamsson (Swe) Team Crescent                    12.09
24. Petter Renäng (Swe) Team Crescent                      13.03
25. Arv Hvam (Den) Team Odense                             14.29
26. Are Andresen (Nor) Fana IL                             17.42
27. Martin Vestby (Nor) Sandnes SK                         20.59
28. Robertino Ivanov (Nor) Horten OCK                      21.58
29. Peter Roger Iten (Den) Team Odense                     23.25
30. Frank W Hyrsting (Den) Denmark                         23.32
31. Kjetil G. Løitegaard (Nor) Østlandet                   23.40
32. Alexander Kjær (Nor) Østlandet                         24.05
33. Anders Michaelsen (Den) TVK                            25.00
34. Jarle Fredriksen (Nor) Eidsvoll SK                     25.01
35. Arno Bouten (Hol) Piels-Gazelle                        27.10
36. Rasmus Madsen (Den) Team Odense                        28.34
37. Trond Kristian Schweder (Nor) Buskerud CK              29.09
38. Øyvind Dybing (Nor) Fana IL                            29.22
39. Steffan Repshus (Nor) TVK                              32.22
40. Lien Geir Magne (Nor) TVK                              33.57
41. Peep Mikli (Est) Piels-Gazelle                         35.49
42. Dariusz Skoczylas (Pol) Mroz-Supradyn                  43.31
43. Raymond Gjæringen (Nor) Fana IL                        46.08
44. Per Martin Lund (Nor) Østlandet                        47.21
45. Tom Cordes (Hol) Piels-Gazelle                         51.02
46. Tobias Nilsson (Swe) Team Mälarenergi                1.03.31
47. Roy Hegreberg (Nor) Horten OCK                       1.03.40
48. Tore Bekken (Nor) Buskerud CK                        1.04.26
49. Stig Sverre Holmsen (Nor) Horten OCK                 1.04.57
50. Ståle Sætervold (Nor) TVK                            1.06.21
51. Jan Jespersen (Den) Denmark                          1.07.05
52. Armands Baranovskis (Lat) Latvia                     1.10.28
53. Renars Lauzia (Lat) Latvia                           1.13.24
54. Johan Flodin (Swe) Team Crescent                     1.15.37
55. Frank Hyldgård (Den) Denmark                         1.25.04
56. Nils Einar Grutle (Nor) Fana IL                      1.26.28
57. Andris Speets (Lat) Latvia                           1.46.56
58. Arno Van Zandbeck (Hol) Piels-Gazelle                1.48.22
59. Jean-Pierre Verstraten (Hol) Piels-Gazelle           2.01.27
60. Jo Braadlie (Nor) Bærum OCK                          2.07.31