The Tour of Scandinavia – previously billed as the Battle of the North – has announced a name change and further details of the 2022 edition of the six-stage Women’s WorldTour race, which is set to take place August 9-14.
The race is a continuation of the long-standing Ladies Tour of Norway, and will include regular features of that race, but this year will also deliver stages across Scandinavia in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Announced in 2019, the race was originally named the Battle of the North, but the organisers have explained that the event will now instead go by the title of Tour of Scandinavia.
“We have spent several years building the brand ‘Battle of The North’, and significant resources have been invested in advance of the launch,” said race director Roy Moberg. “But we do not want to use a name that can be linked to war as the world now appears.
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“In respect with everyone who suffers as a result of the terrible war in Ukraine, we ... brand the riding concept as ‘Tour of Scandinavia’ and tone down the use of the name Battle of The North.”
Initially proposed as a ten-day race, the Tour of Scandinavia will now comprise of six stages, starting in Copenhagen, Denmark and finishing in Halden, Norway. The race will take in 958km and promises live TV coverage.
The Queen stage will come on day five, with the peloton set to tackle the 10km climb to the finish line at Norefjell on a tough day that will be decisive for the general classification.
The opening stage will mark the first-ever Women’s WorldTour race in Denmark, and will offer a rare chance to race at home for riders like Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar), and new Norwegian WorldTeam Uno-X.
Despite the Giro Donne and the Tour de France Femmes already making for a busy summer of WorldTour stage racing, the Tour of Scandinavia organisers are hopeful of attracting a strong field in August.
“I know that we can offer an interesting race that has attracted a lot of interest among the riders,” said Moberg.
2022 Tour of Scandinavia route
- Stage 1: Copenhagen - Helsinger (Denmark)
- Stage 2: Orust - Strömstad (Sweden)
- Stage 3: Moss - Sarpsborg (Norway)
- Stage 4: Askim - Mysen (Norway)
- Stage 5: Vikersund - Norefjell (Norway)
- Stage 6: Lillestrom - Halden (Norway)
