Giro d'Italia leader Andreas Leknessund makes Norwegian cycling history

Team DSMs Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund sprays champagne as he celebrates his overall leaders pink jersey after stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia
Team DSMs Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund sprays champagne as he celebrates his overall leaders pink jersey after stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: LUCA BETTINIAFP via Getty Images)

When he crossed the finish line at Lago Laceno and claimed the pink jersey of Giro d'Italia race leader, Andreas Leknessund (DSM) said he had had no idea he was making a small but significant piece of cycling history.

But after the Norwegian found out he was the first rider from north of the Arctic Circle ever to take the lead of the Italian Grand Tour in its 106 editions, he said he was not, in any case, surprised. "The number of cyclists from inside the Circle is very small," he pointed out.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.