Marco Haller: "It is unbelievable to be on the top of the podium"

It had been a very long time since Marco Haller had last taken a professional win - the 2015 national road race championships - but today at the Tour of Norway he has returned to his winning ways, in unexpected fashion as he soared through the sprint and beat some respectable World Tour names.

“I am so happy, and this is a huge relief! I knew that I got the performance but this spring nothing came together," he said in a post-race interview. It was a tough finale into Kristiansand but that favoured the Austrian who didn't suffer like many of his rivals, and had the superior power for the final sprint in which he proved dominant. 

The team very much has a lineup without most of it's big names, and that has allowed some riders to have opportunities. Cian Uijtdebroeks is taking the chance to ride for an overall classification and gather experience, and Haller as had the freedom to target the sprint stages - succefully. "Also Frederik and Ide have contributed a lot to this victory and in general I think we all at BORA – hansgrohe are surfing on a wave of success at the moment. This feeling is amazing," he said.

A huge thank you to my wife for always supporting me. But also to my coach Heli Dollinger, because we made a good plan together after the spring and that clearly pays off now. I had good legs the whole week, but it is unbelievable to be on the top of the podium – I think after seven years – on this level again," he concluded.