In terms of satisfaction, no one could match what Cedrik Bakke Christophersen and Thomas Silva experienced at the finish of the final stage of the Arctic Race of Norway. The former, indeed, at the Narvik finish line secured with a great performance his first professional victory, while the latter, controlling the situation with extreme brilliance, added to his palmares the second yellow jersey of the season after the one obtained by winning the Tour of Hainan in April.

Both did not hide, after the award ceremonies, their happiness about how they emerged from the demanding conclusion of the Scandinavian race which, for one reason or another, will be remembered by both of them for a long time. "I have trained hard for many years and to finally be able to demonstrate that I am at this level is simply incredible, even surreal" declared the Norwegian rider of Unibet Rose Rockets after the finish line.

"I had good sensations throughout the day, but at the beginning of the climb there was a crash and I found myself behind it. I saw that the group was pulling away and so I had to spend a lot to catch up but, despite the effort, I continued to feel really good...I would even say it was quite easy to get back. At that point I tried to stay calm, see up close how the moves were developing and when the group settled I told myself that was the right moment to attack and so I did. I didn't see anyone coming after me and then I understood that I could only go all out to the finish line and, fortunately, I made it. I honestly don't know if it changes anything but I believe a professional victory means a lot...I really don't know what to say".

As for professional victories, Silva with today has reached twelve, eight in 2026 alone which is increasingly powerfully confirming him as the revelation rider of the year.

"Obviously I'm very happy: in the end it was another very important victory for me and for the team so now we're enjoying it" said the twenty-four-year-old from Maldonado holding the trophy destined for the stage winner before explaining how he and the team decided to manage the pursuit of the day's breakaway.

"We played our cards keeping the breakaway at three minutes so that the other teams could get a bit nervous and, with the stage at stake, be forced to work. I believe we succeeded in our objective because in the end there were quite a few teams that started pulling and this meant that at the start of the final climb every scenario was possible" revealed Silva, determined to take a new step in terms of condition in the coming weeks.

"I believe we planned everything very well throughout the year. Now instead of racing I will do an altitude training camp where I hope to be able to improve my condition further and then we'll think about what will practically be the last two months of the season. My improvements? I think we're making giant steps and I hope to continue in this way: winning the way I won here at the Arctic Race opens new possibilities for me and allows me to target races and stages with a different profile" concluded the first South American in history to triumph at the Arctic Race of Norway.

Photo credit: ARN/Thomas Maheux