Leknessund salutes late King of Norway after Vuelta battle with Van Aert: 'It was going insanely fast'

Friday, August 28, will forever remain a historic day for Norway and Uno-X. Andreas Leknessund gave the Norwegian team its first stage win at the Vuelta a España, which took place on the day King Harald V passed away. This sparked a wide range of emotions among the successful riders after the race.

Leknessund went on the attack with Wout van Aert right from kilometer one. “It was a truly special day. Right from the start, the pace was insanely fast, together with Wout. When Tobias (Halland Johannessen, ed.) joined the breakaway and caught up with us, it gave me a tremendous amount of confidence that we could win. He was perhaps the strongest climber in the lead group today.”

"Our plan was for one of us to open up a gap on the final climb. He let the gap open up, let me take the win, and helped me get there. I'm incredibly grateful to him and proud of the team," said the usually stoic Leknessund.

"I told Andreas he should be the first to try it. After that, we wanted to see if the others were willing to cooperate, but they weren't. That was truly a dream scenario. I think this is exactly what you hope for when you’re in the breakaway with just the two of you: that you can play it out like that. Today it worked out perfectly,” Johannessen added to Eurosport.

"It's really hard to put into words. I didn't expect it to be this emotional. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I've fought incredibly hard for this, so it really means a lot to me."

With Leknessund’s stage victory in the Vuelta, Uno-X’s Grand Tour trilogy is complete. “It’s truly unbelievable. I was there at the Giro when Frederik won, and that was already fantastic. Then came the Tour, and now this at the Vuelta. It just shows how strong we are as a team. I’m so proud to be a part of this.”

"I know Andreas really well, and he deserves this just as much as I do. We executed it perfectly. This is exactly what it means to be a team, and I’m incredibly proud of how we raced. He was also incredibly strong all day long. It was a perfect day, but also a special day given what happened back home in Norway. We’re truly incredibly proud,” said Johannessen.

"It was an emotional day for the team and for all of Norway. Of course, this is just a small part of the bigger picture, but it does make this victory extra special," Leknessund concludes his account.