Two brothers leading the same team is no exception, but three brothers, this is very special. Sindre, Magnus and Johannes Kulset will be defending the tricolor for Uno-X this year. Sorza met them during the Alpine Tour and learned about their burning ambition and why they and Norway owe so much to their father.
Bike-loving (wealthy) father, bike-obsessed sons
In the 1960s and 1970s there were once the legendary Swedish Peterson brothers, all four of whom raced at the highest level. It now appears that a new strain is emerging in neighboring Norway.
Christian Kollst is the eldest of the four brothers, but he decided to retire at the age of 27 last year. However, Uno-X has 3 other siblings in the running, Sindre Kulset (24), Magnus Kulset (22) and Johannes Kulset (19). All three were at the start of the Alpine Tour. Renate Schott visited them.
“It’s true that this is not typical, three brothers in racing,” says Magnus. “We like to ride together, especially for a Norwegian team.”
“Uno-X is a different team from other teams,” adds Sindre. “It really is a family in itself.”
Cycling in Norway benefits from the fact that our dad is a racing fan.
Not only do the brothers owe part of their genes to their father, Vigar. As the big boss behind Uno-X Mobility, he worked to ensure that the gas station chain became a sponsor of the race, thus indirectly giving his sons a boost.
“We are very lucky to have a dad who loves to race,” says Magnus. “But the rest of the country is as lucky as we are.”
Sinder: “Norwegian Cycling benefits from the fact that he’s a fan of the sport and that he believes there’s money to be made for his company with sponsorships.”
However, brothers are not favored, as Johannes the Younger asserts. “Our dad doesn’t decide anything on the team. It’s great that he shares our passion, but it doesn’t matter on the team itself.”
Cinder Colst
Big tour for every brother
The Colst Brothers want to do everything they can to make a name for themselves and not just be the children of a major sponsor. Especially Johannes is highly talented. At the age of 19, he has already finished 14th in the final Alpine Tour classification.
“The three of us are climbers,” says Cinder. “Only Johannes has the punches, so he can also play on the short slopes.”
Johannes: “My goal is to become a classification rider. My big dream is to win the Tour. Or help a teammate to win the Tour.”
Sindre: “I’d rather win the Giro. Although I definitely need a few more years for that.”
“If the other two Grand Tours were already done, I’d choose the Vuelta,” Magnus jokes. “It would be great if we both win one Grand Tour.”
Johannes Colst
Uno-X on tour: “Start practicing all those names”
Uno-X will also be at the start of the Tour de France for the first time. It seems unlikely that one of the Colst brothers would actually qualify to attend, but that doesn’t change their sympathies.
“With the exception of Alexander Kristoff, they will all be young and inexperienced riders,” says Sender. “The most important thing is to show the colors of the Uno-X.”
“The yellow and red certainly won’t go unnoticed,” insists Magnus. “We have a few guys who definitely have a chance to win a stage and who knows, there could also be a top 10 in the general classification in the cards.”
“So the commentators had better start rehearsing all our names now, because often it’s not that simple,” says Magnus, the apparent family joker.
And those who want to get to the race will inevitably run into Sporza. Fortunately, they already know the white S that has a green ball on it. “I once called a guy from your country, a certain Hannes guy (cabin whisper Hannes Tahon, ed.). He was a nice guy.”
Magnus Colst
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