'Sometimes I like to do something crazy': Abrahamsen takes winter training to the next level with insane sessions

Scandinavian cycling has been developing rapidly in recent years — and it’s now reached a new high point. With the performances of Jonas Vingegaard, Mads Pedersen, and the rise of Uno-X Mobility and Norway’s growing talent pool, it’s fair to speak of a golden generation. Yet life as a cyclist in the far north isn’t always easy. Still, Jonas Abrahamsen refuses to see problems - only solutions.

Abrahamsen lives in Oslo, the Norwegian capital and, geographically, in the far south of the country. For a summer sport athlete, there are few better places to live in Scandinavia - but even there, daylight disappears fast and winter temperatures bite hard. At this time of year, the sun sets around 3 p.m., which makes outdoor training difficult. That’s why Abrahamsen turns to long sessions on Zwift.

The online training platform is popular among amateurs and pros alike. But the Norwegian powerhouse takes it to extremes: just a few days ago, he logged almost 190 kilometres in five hours, as shown on his Strava profile. The session - ten intervals in lactate zone 1 - would destroy most riders. He started at 340 watts and built up to 375 in the final phase, averaging around 4 watts per kilo for five hours...

It’s not the first time he’s used this brutal approach. Last winter, Abrahamsen clocked 25 hours a week on Zwift in preparation for the new season. "It hurts to do your first five-hour ride inside, but after that, the mental side is not so bad," he told Velo at the time. “Knowing it will make me good for my big goals in the classics, it motivates me to do the big indoor workouts. It makes the pain worthwhile.”

Many athletes would lose their mind spending 25 hours a week on a turbo trainer, but Abrahamsen’s secret seems simple - he’s already a little mad. "Sometimes I like to do something crazy. Sometimes it does something with your head when you’re going five, six hours on a home trainer. I think you get a new barrier, and you find extra motivation."

While most of his colleagues escape to Spain for their winter training blocks, the Tour de France stage winner in Toulouse actually prefers to stay home. "I was away a lot in the season, then in Gran Canaria before Christmas. Then we had another camp in January. So it’s nice to be home after a long season, and the trainer is nice I think."

Sometimes, Abrahamsen takes it even further, by transforming his bathroom into a makeshift sauna before training. "I do heat sessions in the bathroom. I have the heating on full and a towel at the bottom of the door to keep out the cold. It starts at 20 degrees C and goes up to 30 degrees in 20 minutes. I’ve even had it up to 35.”

It all sounds insane - but Uno-X Mobility fully supports his unorthodox winter regime. Olav Alexander Bu, performance coach of the Norwegian squad, backs Abrahamsen’s methods as the team prepares for its WorldTour debut season. With such an extreme winter behind him, the Norwegian looks set to reach new heights in the coming year.