These are golden days for Uno-X Mobility. The Norwegian ProTour team is surprisingly strong and continues to increase its win total. Magnus Cort’s stage win at the Dauphiné yesterday is the temporary icing on the cake. This may be a surprise to the outside world, but it is not to the team: “We know what we are doing.”
Alexander Kristoff, Abrahamsen Jonas, Magnus Kurt Nielsen: they have all been at the highest level in recent days.
The Uno-X Pro Cycling Team has already achieved 8 wins. This means that it is better than World Tour teams such as Bahrain Victorious and Movistar.
The Scandinavian group is doing very well these days and is putting their successes together.
What’s striking: half of those wins came in the past two weeks.
Although this comes as no surprise to sporting director Gino van Oudenhoven, he is a proud Belgian of all Norwegians.
Building on experience
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we counted on Magnus Court winning,” Van Oudenhoven opened pointedly.
“The Antwerp Port Epic and the Brussels Cycling Classic were also not empty. We know what we are doing and we work hard. The great thing is that the whole team is on the same page.”
What then constitutes the cornerstone of new success?
“We split the team into two parts. Some riders, like Abrahamsen, completed an altitude training course in May. Others, like Christoph, stayed closer to home to complete their training schedule,” explains van Oudenhoven.
From experience, we know exactly when altitude training will pay off.
Gino van Oudenhoven – Team Leader Uno-X
“By building on our knowledge every year, we can plan our altitude training sessions better and better,” says the proud team leader. “And this experience is now starting to pay off.”
“We know for every rider how much a period of altitude training impacts their performance. It will be great to see the results as well.”
Soren Waerenskjold opened a Uno-X account this year.
A stepping stone to the WorldTour
New victories might be great, but isn’t Uno-X peaking too early with the Tour expected?
“Let’s be honest: every stage of the tour is like a World Cup. This is boxing at the highest weight class. We might fail a little there, that’s why we want to harvest now,” says van Oudenhoven. -Earth’s answer.
And it’s not just about victories.
“June is also an important month for us to score UCI points. We are still a Pro Tour team. If we want to make the step towards the WorldTour, which is a big goal, we desperately need those points.”
Each stage of the Tour is like a World Cup. That’s why we must harvest now.
Gino van Oudenhoven – Team Leader Uno-X
At the moment, Uno-X still has to put up with the Pro Tour Lotto teams – Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech, the difference with the latter is 1000 points.
“This second place is crucial for continued growth,” Van Oudenhoven continues. “I see it as the ultimate starting point.”
“This gives us guaranteed start rights in races like San Sebastian and the General Race in Canada. Now we have to gamble on invitations.”
Therefore, the future looks bright for the Norwegians, who have an additional trump card up their sleeve.
“Our best rider, Tobias Haaland Johansson, is actually not in good shape yet. He can also achieve some good results,” concludes the hopeful Belgian.
“Subtly charming internet specialist. Avid writer. Friendly alcohol guru. Music ninja. Devoted social media fanatic.”
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