Lau aste
Tickets have been booked for Bilbao, and we are set to arrive on the 27th of June after an intense National Championship weekend. This wonderful city in the Basque Country is hosting the Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2023. What a scene for Uno-X to shine in its first participation! It's still hard to believe.
We will spend June wisely, participating in key races such as the Critérium Dauphiné, Belgium Tour, and the National Championships. Simply put, we have a classic group and a climbers group. The "best" versions of these groups will be merged and selected for the Tour. No final decision will be made until after the Belgium Tour, and we might even wait until after the Nationals. We will only select riders in top shape. So, regardless of media rumors and discussions, the final call will be made in about three weeks.
I'll let you in on a secret. Alexander Kristoff is on the list. Yesterday, he secured his 10th victory in the Tour of Norway, marking our first-ever victory in the race. Our captain and the King of Stavanger always delivers. He has already won two UCI races this year, and I'm sure there's more to come. He has won four stages in the Tour de France and aims to secure the fifth in 2023. The team celebrations in Stavanger were a truly memorable moment. Martin and Anders were the horses of the day, Ådne and Tobias defended their top-10 positions (points matter!), and Rasmus the Killer led out Alexander. It was a beautiful race, wrapping up another memorable week on home soil.
Depth might not make the headlines, but this was our weekend:
Johannes Kulset, aka Baby Kulset, secured 3rd place in the GC of the Alpes Isère Tour (with two top-5 stage results).
Jacob Hindsgaul finished 6th in the GC of Boucles de la Mayenne, winning the polka dot jersey and taking 3rd place in one of the stages.
Stian Fredheim sprinted to 4th place in a stage at Boucles de la Mayenne.
Tord Gudmestad also sprinted to 4th place in a stage at Boucles de la Mayenne. By the way, he got hit by a bus earlier this week during training...
Erlend Blikra secured 5th place in Ronde van Limburg.
Ådne Holter finished 4th in the legendary Fløyen prologue climb in the Tour of Norway and took 7th place in the GC of the Tour of Norway.
Tobias Johannessen finished 9th in the GC of the Tour of Norway.
Alexander Kristoff claimed a victory in stage 3 of the Tour of Norway.
We may not be a WorldTour team yet, but this is development. These are the signs of increased depth, with riders reaching their potential. I am left feeling motivated and enthusiastic. Our long-term model is still working. As for the 2024 transfers, we are in the right place, both in the long-term and short-term.
We will enter our first Grand Tour with the ambition of winning a stage. Success, defined externally, will be based on that ambition. I am satisfied as long as we come close with all we have. A Tour de France stage victory is not something we can achieve easily. We need the stars to align and find diamond legs. Then it is possible. We have four weeks until the arrival in Bilbao, or "lau aste" as our Basque mechanic, Gaizka, would say.
