Omloop winner Wærenskjold has a clear goal this spring: "I want to be in the top five in this race"

"I feel that having a comfortable weight and being able to eat what you want is somewhat underestimated. If you want a sandwich, you eat it," Abrahamsen begins his story. "I notice it, especially with the French, Italians, and Belgians. They are very intrigued by the change I have undergone because not many cyclists gain twenty kilos."

The Norwegian, who came second in Dwars door Vlaanderen last year, has noticed that he has started to perform much better. "Many people think it is unusual to gain a lot of weight and start performing better. I think it is good for cycling that it turns out that even if you weigh 80 or 95 kilos, you can actually win cycling races and ride better than you ever have before."

Wærenskjold, who won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in early March, also sees himself performing better. "When I won the Omloop, I weighed 92 kilos. There is probably something in the culture of Spain, France, and Italy where people may be a bit old-fashioned when it comes to dieting and want to weigh less. But sometimes, I see riders who are completely exhausted after 100 kilometers, while I still feel good."

"I have never considered my weight during my career," the 25-year-old rider continues. "I have always just eaten what I liked and what I felt like eating at the time. Of course, you consider that you get enough carbohydrates, but I never paid specific attention to that." Wærenskjold is not the only tall Norwegian at Uno-X, as Jonas Abrahamsen and Alexander Kristoff also bring the team a fair amount of success despite their size.

Wærenskjold will be riding Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the Tour of Flanders next week and wants to focus on Paris-Roubaix on April 13th. "I have set myself the goal of finishing in the top 5, but I dream of reaching the podium. It won't be easy, though, with many favorites at the start. I'll have to be lucky that they have a flat tire, and I don't, haha."

Abrahamsen, starting the Belgian spring classics with his teammate Wærenskjold, also looks forward to the Hell of the North. "Paris-Roubaix is perhaps one of the races that suits me best. At the same time, the competition there is also very tough, but that is one of my biggest goals with an eye on the classics: to do well there."