Norwegian Championships - CN

Brumunddal, August 8-11, 2002

Main Norwegian Road Race Championships

Day 1 - August 8: individual time trial

Hushovd and Kjærgaard battle it out for TT title

Thor Hushovd
Photo: © Gunnar Mjaugedal

By Tomas Nilsson, Cyclingnews correspondent

All the Norwegian pros are present at TT and crit championships in Brumunddal, situated between Olympic towns Lillehammer and Hamar. Therefore a huge crowd had gatherered to see whether Tour stage winner and former U23 TT World champion Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) could also manage to win a national title in Thursday's ITT.

The main opponent was US Postal's Steffen Kjærgaard who started among the first. He actually passed all six riders starting before him but his time was only good enough for second place. Hushovd was 50 seconds faster on the 45 kilometre parcours. Bjørnar Vestøl, Kurt Asle Arvesen (EDS-fakta) and Mads Kaggestad (Team Krone) followed, all more than two minutes behind with Geir Lien (Nes) as best amateur in sixth, 2.52 behind. Also noteworthy: 55 year old Kåre Christoffersen (Kristiansand) as tenth, four minutes behind and beating several of the young Team Krone pros. So did Espen Bjervig (Ullensaker) who is a member of the Norwegian national cross country ski team.

In the women's race, a duel was expected between the returning Anita Valen (Skien) and Team Sponsorservice's TT specialist Solrun Flatås. Her team mate Wenche Stensvold also had a good race and was second at the two first intermediate time checks. She wasn't able to hold the distance so in the end Flatås got another ITT title, with Anita Valen twenty seconds back and Stensvold trailing at another half minute.

The Norwegian women are world class but there is cause for concern. In the junior event only one rider, Tone E. Walsgård (Sandnes SK), took the start. In the men's junior event André Moen Harald (Grenland SK) surpried many by winning.

Photography

Photos by Gunnar Mjaugedal, www.photouser.com

Steffen Kjærgård (US Postal) rode strongly but finished 53 seconds behind the winning time
Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) cruised to victory alongside the Mj¿sa
Thor Hushovd in full cry
Bjørnar Vestøl (Grimstad SK/EDS-Fakta) rounded out the men's podium in third place
Thor Hushovd stands atop the winner's podium
Thor Hushovd appears exhausted but happy with his effort
Steffen Kjærgård (US Postal) and an invited guest join Thor Hushovd on the podium
Thrid place Bjørnar Vestøl and winner Thor Hushovd share a post-race photo opportunity

Women, 27 km
 
1 Solrun Flatås (JH-Sykkel/Team Sponsorservice)        39.24,4
2 Anita Valen (Skien SK)                                0.20,6
3 Wenche Stensvold (Nesset CK/Team Sponsorservice)      0.49,7
4 Brita Cecilie Mustad (Kragerø SK)                     3.01,6
5 Tove Fenstad (Trondhjems VK)                          3.15,8
6 Linn Torp (Eidsvoll SK)                               3.42,1
7 Anette Lysebo (Sandefjord SK)                         4.14,8
8 Line Ramsrud (Eidsvoll SK)                            4.21,9
9 Christine Myhre (CK Nittedal)                         4.35,5
10 Louise Venheim (Grenland SK)                         5.30,8
11 Aud Kari Berg (Lunderseter IL Ski og Sykkel)         5.35,2
12 Andrea Antonsen (Fredrikstad SK)                     5.56,8
13 Tone Hatteland (Sandnes SK)                          6.14,4
14 Wenche Elvsveen (Brumunddal SK)                      6.46,4
15 Nanna B. Rykken (Østmarka IL)                        7.52,2
16 Monica F. Guneriussen (Østmarka IL)                  8.06,0
17 Ingeborg Solberg (Ringerike SK)                      8.17,1
18 Eiren Nesheim (Sogn CK)                             12.29,1
 
Men Elite, 45 km
 
1 Thor Hushovd (Ringerike SK/Crèdit Agricole)          56.47,0
2 Steffen Kjærgård (Glåm-Nit Elite/US Postal)           0.53,3
3 Bjørnar Vestøl (Grimstad SK/EDS-Fakta)                2.02,4
4 Kurt Asle Arvesen (Nesset CK/EDS-Fakta)               2.19,2
5 Mads Kaggestad (Ringerike SK/Team Krone)              2.28,8
6 Geir Lien (Nes SK)                                    2.52,5
7 Lars Breiseth (Ringerike SK/Team Krone)               3.11,3
8 Terje Tho (Trondhjems VK)                             3.20,4
9 Morten Christiansen (Sandnes SK)                      3.37,9
10 Kåre Christoffersen (Kristiansands CK)               4.01,6
11 Christopher Myhre (Ringerike SK/Team Krone)          4.10,1
12 Espen Bjervig (Ullensaker CK)                        5.32,8
13 Aslak Mørstad Johansen (IF Frøy)                     5.46,8
14 Per Martin Lund (Ringerike SK/Team Krone)            5.48,0
15 Gabriel Rasch (Ringerike SK/Team Krone)              5.53,1
16 Kristian G. Andreassen (Brumunddal SK)               5.55,6
17 Kristian Eilertsen (CK Bjørgvin)                     6.04,1
18 Stian Risberg (Ringerike SK)                         6.06,1
19 Stig Sverre Holmsen (Fana IL Sykkel)                 6.07,9
20 Eddy Knudsen Storsæter (Tønsberg CK)                 6.14,7
21 Marius Nyhammer (CK Bjørgvin)                        6.20,9
22 Rune Stordal (CK Bjørgvin)                           6.44,4
23 Knut Inge L. Bøe (CK Bjørgvin)                       6.50,8
24 Morten Hegreberg (Sandnes SK)                        6.52,0
25 Are Andresen (Kristiansands CK)                      6.52,7
26 Erlend Engelsvoll (Sandnes SK)                       7.06,3
27 Johnny Vea (Karmøy CK)                               7.08,9
28 Stian Remme (Fana IL Sykkel)                         7.34,2
29 Ola Magnus Laugaland (Frikransen SK)                 7.43,4
30 Øyvind Dybing (Fana IL Sykkel)                       8.39,0
31 Roy Hegreberg (Sandnes SK)                           9.22,3
32 Christian Einung Dahl (IF Frøy)                      9.30,0
33 Lars Ellingsen (Grenland SK)                         9.59,0
34 Atle Ekenberg (Gjøvik CK)                           10.39,9
35 Kenneth Randin (Eidsvoll SK)                        10.44,8
36 Jan Birger Solheim (Trondhjems VK)                  11.05,7
37 Kurt Fors Haugen (Grenland SK)                      11.30,4
38 Morten Nygård (Frikransen SK)                       14.31,2
39 Erik Sønes (Asker CK)                               14.32,4
40 Marthin Håvardsen (Karmøy CK)                       14.37,1
41 Helge Hestvik (Grenland SK)                         15.02,3
 
Men Junior, 18 km

1 André Moen Harald  (Grenland SK)                     24.25,0
2 Svein Erik Vold (IL Stjørdals-Blink Sykkel)           0.10,4
3 Sigbjørn M.  Fønnebø  (Tønsberg CK)                   0.13,8
4 Leonard Snoeks (Sandefjord SK)                        0.15,6
5 Jan Fredrik Mohn (Fana IL Sykkel)                     0.29,7
6 Øystein Fundingsrud  (Fredrikstad SK)                 0.39,9
7 Stian Sommerseth  (Lillehammer CK)                    0.47,0
8 Håvard Kristiansen  (Ringerike SK)                    0.55,0
9 John Einebærholm  (Fana IL Sykkel)                    1.11,1
10 Thor Robert G. Olsen (Trondhjems VK)                 1.30,1
11 Joakim Flaaseth Hansen (IK Hero)                     1.31,7
12 Simen Langeland  (Asker CK)                          1.32,5
13 Anders I.  Hvideberg  (Fredrikstad SK)               1.35,7
14 Thomas Klavenes  (Horten OCK)                        1.44,1
15 Frode Jansen (Brumunddal SK)                         2.02,4
16 Vegard Lien Kvelstad  (Lillehammer CK)               2.04,7
17 Morten Herum Larsen (Grenland SK)                    2.23,0
18 Fredrik Helgesen  (CK Bjørgvin)                      2.38,1
19 Øystein K. Skoglund  (Raufoss CK)                    2.42,0
20 Arne Johan Dahl (Lillehammer CK)                     2.47,2
21 Morten Simonsen  (IF Frøy)                           2.51,2
26 Fredrik Wilman (Nye CK Victoria)                     3.00,3
22 Hans Marius Bråthen (Drammen CK)                     3.33,9
23 Arnt Ove Fordal (IL Stjørdals-Blink Sykkel)          3.56,8
24 Tomas A. Røen (Trondhjems VK)                        4.01,3
25 Ivar L. Bøe (CK Bjørgvin)                            4.43,7

Women Junior - 9 km

1 Tone E. Walsgård  (Sandnes SK)                       16.00,9

Courtesy syklingensverden.com