An unusual set of circumstances involving a yacht - and a police moto falling over - saw the breakaway's advantage annulled just 5km from the finish of the race.
Bridge lift for yacht at Ladies Tour of Norway
Spare a thought for the women in the breakaway at the quaintly named Ladies Tour of Norway for whom play was stopped by a yacht.
The four-rider escape had about 23 seconds over the peloton with 5km remaining during Saturday’s stage 2; some 140km from Sarpsborg to Fredrikstad.
But a yacht was waiting to sail under a bridge. And so the bridge needed to be lifted to allow the vessel pass.
When that happened, the barriers on the road came down, blocking the race’s passage.
It meant the breakaway was forced to stop. And because the bunch was just over 20 seconds back they quickly caught up with the four escapees.
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UCI rules state that if a breakaway has less than 30 seconds during a stop incident – such as a railway crossing closing or a bridge lift – then the gap is not reinstated.
Instead, the groups that merge while the race is stopped all start as one.
And so it came to pass on Saturday at the Ladies Tour of Norway; the breakaway’s chances snuffed out.
Chloe Hosking went on to win the stage in a bunch sprint ahead of race leader Marianne Vos.
Keep an eye out for the poor police moto rider. His bike falls over when he gets off it as the breakaway stops.
When it rains, it pours...
There were no Irish women in the three-day in Norway. The Team WNT squad of Irish road and track internationals Lydia Boylan and Josie Knight were in the event.
But the two Irish women are looking towards other goals in the weeks ahead.
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