Tour de France: Team Selection
The team for the Tour de France 2023 has been announced. First things first – there is still 10 days until the circus starts. Much can still happen in terms of illness and injuries. But for now, this is our lineup:
Tour de France 2023
Alexander Kristoff (NOR)
Jonas Gregaard W. (DEN)
Rasmus F. Tiller (NOR)
Tobias H. Johannessen (NOR)
Torstein Træen (NOR)
Jonas Abrahamsen (NOR)
Anthon Charmig (DEN)
Søren Wærenskjold (NOR)
Reserves
Anders H. Johannessen (NOR)
Erik N. Resell (NOR)
Martin Urianstad Bugge (NOR)
This team will travel to Bilbao with the goal of representing Norwegian and Danish cycling in an offensive, wholehearted, and very positive way. Uno-X will chase stage victories. That is our big dream for 2023. The team is primarily divided into two groups. We have a "classics group" that will ensure good opportunities for Alex on pure sprint days, while also having strong breakaway riders in this group. The same goes for the mountains, especially with Torstein and Tobias. Gregaard and Charmig also bring an X-factor that can pay off on breakaway stages.
Was it easy? Not at all. It was very tight for the final spots. Abra has earned his place through impressive performances in May/June. His 9th place on Saturday in the Belgium Tour and his role in the lead-out for Alex may have been decisive. Resell has had a very, very solid season. He is extremely loyal and a fantastic support rider in the classics group. The exact same thing can be said for Bugge.
Charmig didn't have an exceptionally strong Critérium du Dauphiné. But he wasn't supposed to. The training and plan have been focused on the Tour de France, not the Dauphiné. At the same time, Anders H. Johannessen is on the rise. He performed well in the Tour of Norway and the Dauphiné. But the season has also been demanding for him. The training foundation one has to "live with" in the Tour de France over three weeks is something special.
For Uno-X, it would have been disappointing if there wasn't competition for the team spots. Some will be disappointed, some may be a little surprised to be seen, and some will be happy. We wanted to avoid an element of "guarantees" regarding who would go to the Tour de France, while also knowing that the quality of development work increases if some of the riders have security and predictability. Therefore, we had to find a balance.
In such processes, not everyone agrees. There are many tough discussions. But there is a leadership team that is proud of the group. Proud of those going to the Tour and proud of the overall development we have in the team. We have no plans to look back.
