The Dutch rider - winner of the women's time trial at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and a road race runner-up - was in a small breakaway on the final climbing section of today's stage, but broke clear with little more than 2.5 kilometres left to claim a solo win.

Ashleigh Moolman Pasio of South Africa and SD Worx was the last rider left who could keep pace with Van Vleuten, but after she was dropped, the Movistar star burst clear to win by 35 seconds in a time of 3 hours 52min 17sec.

Via a four-second time bonus, Van Vleuten is 39 ahead of Moolman Pasio in the general classification.

Mavi García, a Spanish Alé BTC Ljubljana rider, was third today and is third in the general classification, 47sec off the leader.

American Kristen Faulkner - who won stage one for Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank - is fourth, 50sec back.

Today's 145km route from Drammen to Norefjell finished with a 10.5km climbing stretch where the riders gained 790 metres of elevation, and figures to be the hardest stage of the race.

Tomorrow's concluding 141.6km ride from Drøbak to Halden features two pronounced climbs, but neither come close to that magnitude.

Van Vleuten already leads the International Cycling Union Women’s WorldTour standings and also won the last race on the circuit - the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa - to build on her Olympic success.