Tour of Norway 2023
Saint Piran flew the Southwest flag with immense pride at the Tour of Norway 2023 across Eurosport and GCN+ – competing against teams including Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma and EF Education-Easypost.
Saint Piran's participation in the Tour of Norway 2023 not only represented the team's ambitious pursuit of success but they embodied the spirit of their region, proudly flying the Southwest flag,
Cornwall is a long way from Norway and from the start of Moto was “We’re here to race and not merely participate” and that’s exactly what we did. After success in Norway early this year at the Sundvolden Ringerike GP we were excited to see what we could do!
Representing the Saint Piran at the Tour of Norway 2023 were Harry Birchall, Zeb Kyffin, Jack Rootkin-Gray, Bradley Symonds and Alex Richardson.
The tour started with a 7.4km prologue on the streets of Bergen involving a 3.4% climb with an average gradient of 8.8% to the top of Mount Floye. Despite, this style of racing not being suited partially to the team, the boys gave it their all with Zeb Kyffin coming home in 44th -our top finisher for the day – completing the course in a respectable 15:39.68.
Stage one - A trip on the Ferry to make it to the start in the beautiful landscape of Jondal was quickly changed due to adverse weather conditions – which meant the stage was shortened to 85.2km starting in the town of Roldal – making a fast grippy stage that was sure to be fireworks. Ineos controlled the stage, dictating the tempo from the start - Jack was in a great position to sprint at the finish but unfortunately got swapped just before the finishing. Jack Zeb and Bradley safely made it home in the Peloton with the other boys not far behind.
Stage Two began in the sunny landscapes of Valle, taking the riders through a challenging route that included conquering towering 7-meter-high snow walls. Harry Birchill initially joined a breakaway group, although it didn't manage to stick. However, Zeb Kyffin showcased his strength and determination throughout the day. He was involved in an eight-man move, which eventually whittled down to three riders. With a final attack 10km before the finish, the group was reduced to just two riders, and Zeb proved himself to be one of the strongest riders on the stage caught with 3km to go.
Moving on to Stage Three, the team started the day with only four riders, as Jack Rootkin-Gray and Alex Richardson were forced to withdraw due to illness - despite the setback, the remaining boys pressed on, showing their resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. With them, all making it safely to the finish.
Sports Director Steve Lampier “An amazing experience to race the Tour of Norway - a high-level competition in extremely beautiful surroundings. On the sporting side, it shows the work we have done to be in a race such as the Tour of Norway and the three stages we raced has given the team as a whole, more fire in their belly to come back and be more competitive. ”
We as a team would also like to thank the race organizers, sponsors, organizational staff, and the fans who made this incredible journey possible for us.