# Lars Petter Nordhaug

Lars Petter Nordhaug (born 14 May 1984) is a Norwegian former road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2005 and 2017 for the Joker–Bianchi, Belkin Pro Cycling, Team Sky and Aqua Blue Sport teams.

## Career
### Early career

Nordhaug started his career as a mountain biker, but after finishing 5th in the 2004 Norwegian National Road Race Championships, his focus changed towards road bicycle racing. His breakthrough came two years later, in 2006, when he won the national road race championships. This year was his breakout year, also winning Birkebeinerrittet, a Norwegian long-distance mountain-bike cycling race.
In August 2009, Nordhaug scored a second overall finish on the Tour of Ireland while riding for UCI Continental team Joker–Bianchi. This race was a three-stage event classified as 2.1. His victory in the undulating last stage carried him to that placing, after he got the best of breakaway companion Russell Downing, who won the general classification.

### Team Sky (2010–12)

After a week of rumours, it was announced on 10 September 2009 that Nordhaug would be joining Team Sky from the 2010 season, along with fellow Norwegians Edvald Boasson Hagen and Kurt Asle Arvesen. Nordhaug spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons working mainly as a domestique, riding the Ardennes classics and the 2011 Giro d'Italia. He signed a new contract with Sky at the end of 2011.
Nordhaug took his first victory for Sky at the 2012 Trofeo Deià, the third race at the Vuelta a Mallorca. He shook off the last contenders on the last difficulty of the day, before descending solo and crossing the line in Deià, registering his first victory since 2009. He also rode a good Critérium International event in Corsica, finishing fourth overall behind a strong podium composed of Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team), Pierrick Fédrigo (FDJ–BigMat) and his teammate Michael Rogers. Nordhaug led Sky at the Tour of the Basque Country, where he came sixth overall. His promising early season form saw him take a prominent role in the team's Ardennes classics squad. Nordhaug was well placed in the closing stages of the Amstel Gold Race but crashed out in the final 300 metres (980 ft) of the finishing climb, the Cauberg, after clashing wheels with Lampre–ISD's Damiano Cunego. Nordhaug was not selected for the Vuelta a España and instead rode the Danmark Rundt, where he won the third stage, to take the overall lead in the race. He took his biggest career victory to that point at the 2012 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, winning a sprint from a group of four riders after his solo attack was caught in the closing stages of the race.

### Belkin (2013–14)

In August 2012, Nordhaug announced that he would leave Team Sky at the end of the 2012 season, and would join Blanco Pro Cycling on a two-year contract from the 2013 season onwards.

### Return to Sky (2015–16)

At the 2014 UCI Road World Championships, Nordhaug confirmed that he would be leaving Belkin Pro Cycling. Team Sky later announced that he would be rejoining the team from 1 January 2015.
He made history at the 2015 Tour de Yorkshire, winning the inaugural stage of the new race from a breakaway of five riders. With that move, he took the leader's jersey and the points jersey, neither of which he would relinquish, to become the first winner of the race. This was also the first stage race won by Nordhaug outside his native Norway.

## Major results
### 2001

    2nd Cross-country, UCI World Junior MTB Championships

### 2004

    1st Cross-country, National MTB Championships

### 2005

    1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
    5th Overall Ringerike GP

### 2006

    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    1st Birkebeinerrittet

### 2007

    1st Gjøvik GP
    4th Overall Ringerike GP
    5th Overall Paris–Corrèze

### 2008

    1st Cross-country, National MTB Championships
    1st Overall Festningsrittet
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 2 & 3
    2nd Overall GP Borremans Viane
    3rd Road race, National Road Championships
    3rd Overall Kalas Cup Trophy
    7th Overall Tour of Ireland
    7th Sparkassen Giro Bochum
    8th Overall Rhône-Alpes Isère Tour
       1st Mountains classification
    9th Overall Ringerike GP

### 2009

    2nd Overall Tour of Ireland
       1st Stage 3
    4th Overall Tour de Normandie
       1st Stage 5
    5th Overall Ringerike GP

### 2010

    1st Stage 1 (TTT) Tour of Qatar
    9th Oslo Grand Prix

### 2011

    1st Tønsberg Cyclo-cross
    6th Coppa Sabatini

### 2012

    1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
    1st Trofeo Deià
    National Road Championships
       2nd Road race
       3rd Time trial
    3rd Overall Tour of Norway
    4th Overall Critérium International
    6th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
    10th Overall Danmark Rundt
       1st Stage 3

### 2013

    1st National CX Championships
    1st Mountains classification, Arctic Race of Norway
    2nd Overall Tour des Fjords
    8th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

### 2014

    3rd Overall Arctic Race of Norway
       1st Stage 1

### 2015

    1st Overall Tour de Yorkshire
       1st Points classification
       1st Stage 1
    10th Overall Tour of Norway

### 2016

    6th Overall Tour de Yorkshire
    9th Strade Bianche