Ones to Watch in Norwegian Cycling

The Plow From Telemark
A team of up-and-coming Nordic pro men cyclists and one veteran took the world cycling stage in the Tour de France in early July. Team Uno-X Mobility’s men’s team is largely a roster of newcomers, with the accomplished Alexander Kristoff returning to mentor these burgeoning pros into well-known cyclists.

Photo Credit: Magnehaugland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

One team member has had no problem making a mark: Jonas Abrahamsen, 28, has started off the 2024 Tour de France with panache. On the first day, he became Norway’s first–ever rider to clinch the polka-dotted King of the Mountain jersey as the fastest person to the top of several peaks.

On Days 2 and 3, Abrahamsen stormed more of the summits, nabbing the green jersey as well, the designation for the best sprinter. A further accomplishment that no Norwegian has attained before is earning two jerseys simultaneously, for multiple days, living up to his nickname “Grenlandsplogen,” the plow from Grenland (in Telemark county.)

Abrahamsen is also getting noticed for his unusual backstory. Most cyclists will try to shed pounds before the Tour to be at their lightest when ascending the high French Alps. Not so, Abrahamsen. A few years back, his team put him on a weight gain regimen to shore up muscle mass and therefore power output. So far, the results have been stunning: his first-ever pro win happened just last month in Belgium.

It has been four years since cycling legend Alexander Kristoff won the most recent Tour de France stage on Norway’s behalf. On day two of this year’s tour, Abrahamsen surprised everyone with a 2nd place finish. With the trajectory that Abrahamsen is on, we will likely keep hearing about the plow from Grenland for years to come.

The Women’s Tour
Uno-X Mobility also has an elite women’s cycling team, launched in 2020, with a more international roster along with representation from all the Nordic countries. As is the case in many sports, the women’s team was launched more recently, and mainstream broadcasts of their races are more limited.

Photo Credit: https://www.tourdenormandiecycliste.fr/

Mie Bjørndal Ottestad of Oslo is both a Norwegian national time trial champion and has won an international pro title. In March 2024 she rode to victory in the multi-day French road race, the Tour de Normandie.

From August 12 to 18, Ottestad and her teammates will take part in the Tour de France Femme, starting in the Netherlands and winding through the roads of Belgium and France. Follow the race on Instagram or find stage recaps on YouTube.