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Follow us on GoogleIn the first four months of the calendar year, Uno-X managed to clinch victory only once, but since May 1, the team has taken a completely different direction. In just a month and a half, they secured ten (!) wins, raising expectations for their second participation in the Tour de France. Team boss Thor Hushovd discussed this with IDLProCycling.com.
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Ten stages and two points jerseys in the Tour, world champion, classics like Gent-Wevelgem and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and so on: if there is one Norwegian who knows how things work in the cycling world, it's Hushovd. However, he did not have an easy start when he took over leadership at Uno-X from Jens Haugland on February 1.
On Haugland's last official working day (January 31), Søren Wærenskjold secured a victory in the AlUla Tour, but then the results stagnated. The Norwegians couldn't deliver what they had hoped for in the Flemish spring, after participating in the Tour for the first time last season.
Jonas Abrahamsen did finish second in Dwars door Vlaanderen, and in the cold edition of the Flèche Wallonne, the team managed a sixth place with Tobias Halland Johannessen, but that was about it. From May 1 onwards, the tide seemed to have turned completely, as they embarked on a winning streak that has not yet ended at the time of writing.
Alexander Kristoff, who replaced Hushovd at BMC in 2012, broke the streak in the Elfstedenronde on May 5. After that, victories followed from Tord Gudmestad (Veenendaal-Veenendaal), Abrahamsen (Brussels Cycling Classic), Magnus Cort (Critérium du Dauphiné), Wærenskjold (stage and overall victory in Baloise Belgium Tour, as well as the Norwegian time trial championship), and multiple wins by Kristoff in the Antwerp Port Epic, Tour of Norway and Heistse Pijl.
Continue reading below the photo.
Hushovd hopes Uno-X will have a better spring in 2025
"The level is still higher in the big classics, but I don't know," Hushovd explained the difference between the spring and these months. A successful altitude camp also contributed to their success. "Maybe our guys are better in the heat, even though they are Scandinavian riders. As a team, we are taking things step by step, and maybe Flanders and Roubaix are still a step too high for us at the moment. We are still learning."
"We deserve it now, but on the other hand, we also need to learn why we are so much better in May and June," Hushovd points out. "We want to have this form in March and April as well, but that discussion is for next season. For now, we are happy with what we are showing and every victory we achieve. It gives us confidence for the Tour."
"Hard work and dedication, that's the secret," says the Norwegian. "That applies to both the riders and the support team. We have invested in the entire support system: performance, certain products, staff, nutrition, chefs, and so on. That is now paying off. We can continue on this path, and it will come naturally, even in the big races. Now we are showing that we have taken a step forward, and we can confirm that in the Tour. The goal there is clear: we want to win a stage. With whom? That can be with five riders."
Uno-X was the first to announce their team for the Tour: Kristoff, Abrahamsen, Wærenskjold, Cort, Johannessen, Rasmus Tiller, Odd Christian Eiking and Johannes Kulset will ride the Tour de France for the team. In a press release, Hushovd called it "a good combination of lead-out skills, climbing skills, and general riding strength." Little is said about roles, such as those of Cort and Kristoff in tough sprint stages. "We will continue to build the team around the biggest Norwegian and Danish profiles, and it is therefore really nice that we have both Magnus Cort and Alexander Kristoff on this year's team."
Uno-X selection Tour de France 2024
Magnus Cort
Alexander Kristoff
Søren Wærenskjold
Jonas Abrahamsen
Tobias Halland Johannessen
Johannes Kulset
Rasmus Fossum Tiller
Odd Christian Eiking
Alexander Kristoff
Søren Wærenskjold
Jonas Abrahamsen
Tobias Halland Johannessen
Johannes Kulset
Rasmus Fossum Tiller
Odd Christian Eiking
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
- Calling Onley a contender for an overall Tour win already feels a bit premature, especially after the injury setbacks. Still, the depth of talent is exciting.robert6513-11-2026
- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026