As Edvald Boasson Hagen's early season purple patch continues at the Tour of Oman, thoughts naturally turn to the Spring Classics, where, victory at Gent-Wevelgem in 2009 aside, the Norwegian's performances over the years have never lived up to the considerable sum of his parts.
A dominant winner of the individual time trial at the Tour of Qatar last week, Boasson Hagen gave a further demonstration of his range in Oman by finishing off his Dimension Data team's work in the finale at Quriyat on Wednesday with a powerful uphill sprint that gave him stage honours and the overall lead.
Speaking to reporters after retaining the red jersey on stage 3, which was won by his fellow countryman and former Maxkbo-Bianchi teammate Alexander Kristoff, Boasson was unsure of his precise margin for improvement between now and late March.
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"I don't know, I can't give a percentage on my form, but it feels good now and afterwards it will get better I hope," Boasson Hagen said.
Boasson Hagen's record in the Monument Classics, in particular, has been decidedly nondescript for a rider of his abilities. Despite entering each spring campaign during his five-year spell at Team Sky with high hopes and as one of the team leaders, his lone first top 10 finish in a Monument would only come last year, in his first season at MTN-Qhubeka (now Dimension Data).
"I wasn't so far off in San Remo, I was in the main group last year," Boasson Hagen said when asked if he struggled to cope with the sheer length of the Monuments. "And at the Worlds [in Valkenburg in 2012, when he finished second behind Philippe Gilbert – ed.], I was not so far away, so long distances are hopefully not a problem."
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