Young rider Lasse Norman Hansen delivered quite the surprise when he beat time trial giants like Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara to finish third in the Dubai Tour opening stage and announce his arrival on the professional circuit.
One of the last 10 riders to step out on the course in yesterday’s time trial, the 21-year-old shot up the standings with a sublime 12:19 ride, and the Garmin Sharp cyclist says more should be expected from him in the future.
Originally a track cyclist, Hansen is best known for winning the gold medal in Men’s Omnium at the London 2012 Olympics.
A recent addition to Garmin Sharp, Hansen admits he exceeded his own expectations.
He said: “I’ve done a lot of pursuiting as a young track rider, I was kind of expecting to go top-10, top-20 so I’m a little bit surprised myself to beat guys like Cancellara (and Tony Martin).
“Top-three, I’m really happy. Too bad it’s a little more windy now than it was earlier, when the two best times got set, so it’s a little bit sad for me. But top-three in my first race with the pros is satisfying and I’m really happy.”
When asked whether the road cycling world should start paying more attention to him now, he said: “Yes, especially on short time trials and stuff like that, that’s pretty much what I do. But hopefully I’ll get better at the rest and by time I become a more complete rider.”
