'I miss you, little brother'; Emotional words of Jayco-rider after tragic loss of friend and young talent (19)

For Danish rider Asbjørn Hellemose, 2025 was, on paper, a very solid year. After a season racing at club level, he was unexpectedly offered a WorldTour contract by Jayco AlUla, an opportunity he seized with both hands. It marked a fine return to the top level for the Dane, but in other respects the year became a dramatic one. Hellemose lost a close friend - and a future teammate.

The 19-year-old Samuele Privitera was racing for Hagens Berman Jayco, the development squad of the Australian outfit. The expectation was that Privitera would step up to the WorldTour in 2026, and as a result he was already in contact with riders from the senior team. While there are several Italians in the WorldTour squad, Hellemose had also become something of an honorary Italian himself.

The Dane spent several years racing for Italian teams and spent his latest winters in Liguria. As a result, Hellemose speaks fluent Italian and effectively became a neighbour to Privitera, who was also living in Liguria. The two trained together frequently and got on extremely well, with the 26-year-old climber acting as a kind of mentor to the young rider.

Hellemose reached a personal high point during the summer by finishing seventh overall at the Tour of Austria. His career appeared to be on the rise, but less than three days later tragedy struck. Privitera crashed during the opening stage of the Giro della Valle d'Aosta and later passed away from his injuries. It was a huge blow for Italian cycling, and a devastating one for Hellemose personally.

“You’re shocked every single time, and you also feel that it could just as easily have been me. It’s simply horrific,” Hellemose told TV2 Sport. “Suddenly you lose a friend, and yeah… that was really hard to process. You already have to deal with the fact that someone has died during a cycling race, and that it could have been you. But then it suddenly turns out to be one of your friends who is just no longer there.”

It marked one of the darkest periods of Hellemose’s life. “When a young man suddenly dies, there is nothing more senseless.” Still, the Dane hopes to transform that darkness into something meaningful. “I dream of winning, so that I can dedicate the victory to him. I don’t want him to simply be forgotten and become just one of the many who lose their lives on the bike. I also want to say goodbye to him in a good way.”

Racing and potentially winning in Privitera’s name is one way of honouring him - something made possible by Hellemose’s contract extension with Jayco AlUla - but the Dane is going one step further. On 3 January, he will organize a commemorative group ride in Liguria in memory of his lost friend, Hellemose announced on Instagram. Everyone is welcome to join. “I miss you, little brother,” he concluded.