Stevie Williams 'getting stronger' as he wins Arctic Race of Norway

Late-season form pays off for Welsh pro

- James Shrubs

Welshman Stevie Williams showed patience and timing to take victory in the Arctic Race of Norway at the weekend. The 27-year-old put himself into the lead of the four-stage race on stage three when he held off launching his sprint on the punishing uphill finish to Havøysund until just 75 metres to go.

In the slow-motion sprint into a headwind he came round everyone to narrowly take the win, collect a 10- second time bonus and leave him and his Israel-Premier Tech team the job of defending the jersey on the final day.

Speaking after his stage win Williams said: “It was horrible weather conditions out there again for the last hour or two, so the main thing was trying to stay warm and trying to make sure we did all the basics right.