Tour of Norway: Maxim van Gils forgets tough spring with narrow uphill victory against GC leader Matthew Brennan

A fierce late burst of speed has seen Maxim van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) capture stage 3’s uphlil finish of the Tour of Norway and go one better than his runner’s up spot on Friday behind race leader Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike).

In the closing metres of the 141.6 kilometre stage between Jørpeland and Heja, Van Gils shot past Brennan to clinch a narrow but clear victory. Ineos Grenadiers’ Victor Langelotti took third.

The Red Bull racer’s triumph on the final short but tough ascent was the second for Belgium on Saturday, following compatriot Justine Ghekiere’s win for AG Insurance-Soudal in the women’s equivalent event a few hours before.

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Suffering from back issues earlier this year, Van Gils’ second triumph of 2025 confirms that his difficult spring is behind him. Meanwhile, as his remarkable debut pro season continues, race leader Brennan is fast closing in on what would be the young Briton’s first stage race win of his career.

The 19-year-old remains 16 seconds ahead of Langelotti on GC, with a punchy circuit stage through the town of Stavenger set to decide the overall on Sunday.

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