Part One
It's not easy to know where to start. It's a rest day in the Tour, and it's time to gather the first impressions from what may be our biggest experience so far in our team's career.
The Basque Country was absolutely, absolutely special. The crowds were enormous, and we got to feel the pride of being invited to the world's biggest cycling race. It's not easy to explain everything in words, but the feeling is quite overwhelming. In terms of results, we focused on Tobias in the first two days. It was close, but not quite there. Not very surprising, considering that the big favorites did everything they could to gain time in the overall standings. In summary, I think the whole peloton felt the intensity of the first two days in the Basque Country. They were grueling with little rest. In practice, it has had consequences for the entire first week until the first rest day.
In the next two days, we're going for the sprint with Alex. First, 14th place, then 7th place. Both with a lead-out from Søren. It's important for you to know – sprints in the Tour de France are not an Excel sheet or a PlayStation game. There are very small margins that come into play, and the stars have to align correctly for us to succeed. Søren is developing fantastically and has done a very good job for Alex. But he is also clear that he can do even better. We could have chosen differently, especially on stage 4 and maybe even stage 7. It's fantastic that there are different opinions about this; it means we have the competition we need within the team.
Alex deserves more respect. He has won several sprints this year, both in Algarve and in the Tour of Norway. He has the experience we need at this level, and it's too simplistic to say that he lacks the speed. Because sprinting is by no means just about top speed; there are many elements to get right. Søren will have his opportunities when the time is right. He will be a winner for us for in many years to come.
On the fifth stage, we hit the emergency brake. We knew there was an opportunity the next day, and when we don't get everything right from the start, it's important to think about what's coming. The general classification is not our goal, so we have to race accordingly. This is solid coaching from Rasch & co because the next day is a day to remember. Firstly, Tobias is first over the Col du Tourmalet (with good support from Jonas Gregaard), and he rides to a fantastic 3rd place on the stage. For our team, this is like a victory. We are the 1st behind cycling's Ronaldo and Messi; we are the 1st behind cycling’s Hamilton and Verstappen. We show that we deserve this; we show that we deserve respect.
On this day, we had almost 200 employees standing along the route to cheer us on. Our team owner, Ole Robert Reitan, was there with his family. It was almost surreal, but it was real. These will be memories for life.
In the next two days, we secure new top-10 placements with Alex and Rasmus. Rasmus' sprint is powerful. He finishes 8th because he starts too far back. But now he knows he is strong enough. The finish before the rest day up to Puy de Dome is also a special day for us with Gregaard and Abrahamsen in the breakaway. Gregaard fights his way to a great top-10.
To summarize the first week, we have 5 top-10 placements with 4 different riders. We have achieved our first podium. We have the most UCI points among our competitors. We were first over Tourmalet. The staff is also rewarded nicely with our 8th place on the earnings list so far. The effort behind the scenes is fantastic – they deserve all the credit they can get!
What do we have in store now? "The Massif Central is a mountainous region in central southern France. The region is located west of the Rhône River and consists of mountains, plateaus, and extinct volcanoes, including the region's two highest mountains." For us, this means many opportunities. We will attack with what we have. We believe that stage victory is possible, and the chances will come. Several of our riders have shown that they have the level and more. Now we just need to hit the mark.
NB! The TV ratings in Norway have been superb. There is talk of a 50-60% growth at TV2 Norway compared to last year. It means a lot for the interest, for our team, and for our partners. TV2 Norway also deserves applause for their coverage – together with TV2 Denmark, they create excellent content for everyone who wants to follow along.
Talk to you soon!
