{"id":2731,"date":"2025-05-31T20:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/?p=2731"},"modified":"2025-05-31T20:56:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:56:34","slug":"ghekiere-powers-to-historic-victory-on-heia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/ghekiere-powers-to-historic-victory-on-heia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghekiere Powers to Historic Victory on Heia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n  <section class=\"hero-subpage\">\n\n    <div class=\"hero-subpage-grid grid-12 grid-m-8 grid-s-4 inline-padding fade-me\">\n\n      <div class=\"img-wrapper\">\n\n                  <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-1920x1280.jpg\" class=\"attachment-hero size-hero wp-post-image\" alt=\"Sg1 7267\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>        \n        \n        <div class=\"skew\">\n\n                                \n          \n                      <a class=\"share-toggle hide-for-medium-down\">Share<\/a>\n            <div class=\"social-ballon\">\n              <ul class=\"share-list\">\n                <li class=\"facebook-icon\">\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=<br \/>\n<b>Warning<\/b>:  Undefined variable $link in <b>\/srv\/web4\/tourofnorway\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/themes\/tourofnorway-live\/blocks\/hero-subpage\/hero-subpage.php<\/b> on line <b>64<\/b><br \/>\n&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221;>\n                    <svg style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                      <path fill=\"#000000\" d=\"M17,2V2H17V6H15C14.31,6 14,6.81 14,7.5V10H14L17,10V14H14V22H10V14H7V10H10V6A4,4 0 0,1 14,2H17Z\" \/>\n                    <\/svg>\n                  <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                <li class=\"twitter-icon\">\n                  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=<br \/>\n<b>Warning<\/b>:  Undefined variable $link in <b>\/srv\/web4\/tourofnorway\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/themes\/tourofnorway-live\/blocks\/hero-subpage\/hero-subpage.php<\/b> on line <b>71<\/b><br \/>\n&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221;>\n                    <svg style=\"width:24px;height:24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                      <path fill=\"#000000\" d=\"M22.46,6C21.69,6.35 20.86,6.58 20,6.69C20.88,6.16 21.56,5.32 21.88,4.31C21.05,4.81 20.13,5.16 19.16,5.36C18.37,4.5 17.26,4 16,4C13.65,4 11.73,5.92 11.73,8.29C11.73,8.63 11.77,8.96 11.84,9.27C8.28,9.09 5.11,7.38 3,4.79C2.63,5.42 2.42,6.16 2.42,6.94C2.42,8.43 3.17,9.75 4.33,10.5C3.62,10.5 2.96,10.3 2.38,10C2.38,10 2.38,10 2.38,10.03C2.38,12.11 3.86,13.85 5.82,14.24C5.46,14.34 5.08,14.39 4.69,14.39C4.42,14.39 4.15,14.36 3.89,14.31C4.43,16 6,17.26 7.89,17.29C6.43,18.45 4.58,19.13 2.56,19.13C2.22,19.13 1.88,19.11 1.54,19.07C3.44,20.29 5.7,21 8.12,21C16,21 20.33,14.46 20.33,8.79C20.33,8.6 20.33,8.42 20.32,8.23C21.16,7.63 21.88,6.87 22.46,6Z\" \/>\n                    <\/svg>\n                  <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n              <\/ul>\n            <\/div>\n          \n        <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"hero-subpage-wrapper\">\n\n        \n                  <h1>Ghekiere Powers to Historic Victory on Heia<\/h1>\n        \n                  <div class=\"excerpt-wrapper grid-8\">\n\n            <div class=\"line\"><\/div>\n\n                          <p class=\"excerpt\"><\/p>\n            \n          <\/div>\n        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n  <section class=\"text-editor block grey\">\n\n    <div class=\"text-editor-grid grid-12 grid-m-8 grid-s-4 inline-padding fade-me\">\n\n              <div class=\"text-editor-wrapper\">\n          <p>The sun was shining over J\u00f8rpeland as a new chapter was written in the Tour of Norway. For the very first time, a women\u2019s stage race was held alongside the established men\u2019s event. Ninety-eight riders from 17 teams set off on the 101-kilometre opening stage from J\u00f8rpeland to Heia, shining just as brightly as the sun. The challenging finishing climb to Heia \u2014 2.2 kilometres long with an average gradient close to 8 percent \u2014 had to be tackled three times. A true test for the peloton.<\/p>\n<p>Just 8 kilometres into the race came the first ascent of Heia \u2014 and with it, the first mountain points of the year. Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal), a former Queen of the Mountains in the Tour de France Femmes, was first over the top, securing 4 points in the battle for the red Strawberry jersey. Behind her followed Tiril J\u00f8rgensen (Team Coop \u2013 Repsol) and Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team), taking 2 and 1 points respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, J\u00f8rgensen broke away alongside Germany\u2019s Nele Laing (LKT-Team). The duo gained up to a two-minute lead on the peloton, where Uno-X Mobility and AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal took responsibility at the front \u2014 the teams with the strongest cards to play on paper.<\/p>\n<p>A few kilometres before the second climb up to Heia, the riders contested the day\u2019s only intermediate sprint. Tiril J\u00f8rgensen won it convincingly, earning 6 points and 3 bonus seconds. Laing followed with 4 points and 2 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>The breakaway was caught just before the next ascent of Heia, where Uno-X Mobility upped the pace from the base of the climb. Once again, Ghekiere proved strongest and took another 6 mountain points. Behind her were Kathrine Aalerud and Mie Bj\u00f8rndal Ottestad (both Uno-X Mobility), and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal), earning 4, 3, and 2 points respectively. Around 20 riders remained at the front after the climb \u2014 including many of the pre-race favourites.<\/p>\n<p>Heading into the final ascent to Heia, Kathrine Aalerud led the charge for Uno-X Mobility, with teammate Ottestad close behind. Team Coop \u2013 Repsol also had three riders still in contention: Tiril J\u00f8rgensen, Stina Kagevi, and India Grangier.<\/p>\n<p>With 1.5 kilometres to go, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio launched an attack but was quickly joined by Norwegian champion Ottestad. As the riders passed the final kilometre marker, Sarah Gigante made a powerful move and opened a small gap. Recently returned from a long injury break, Gigante led into the finishing straight \u2014 but was overtaken in the final hundred metres by her teammate Justine Ghekiere. The Belgian sprinted past to claim a historic victory \u2014 and with it, the mountain jersey, points jersey, and leader\u2019s jersey!<\/p>\n<p>Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) and Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance \u2013 Soudal) finished second and third.<\/p>\n<p>The best Norwegian on the day was Kathrine Aalerud in 4th place, while Mie Bj\u00f8rndal Ottestad took 7th. Tiril J\u00f8rgensen, who spent much of the day in the breakaway, finished in a strong 13th place.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      \n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Ghekiere Powers to Historic Victory on Heia - Tour of Norway","description":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,38],"class_list":["post-2731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-women-elite-en","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"<img width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-500x333.jpg\" class=\"attachment-article size-article\" alt=\"Sg1 7267\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SG1_7267-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2731"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2735,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731\/revisions\/2735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tourofnorway.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}