Uno-X Mobility manager Thor Hushovd confirms contact with Jonas Vingegaard: 'He doesn’t earn that much'

During his time with Visma | Lease a Bike, Vingegaard won the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the Giro d'Italia twice each.

He also took the top spot at the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour of Catalonia, Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country... You name it. The Killer Bees’ team leader’s contract runs through 2028. What will happen after that?

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It’s anyone’s guess. Vingegaard previously said he couldn’t imagine riding for another team, but he hasn’t yet signed a lifetime contract like the ones Wout van Aert and Marianne Vos have already signed.

And Uno-X Mobility has previously shown interest in the Dane. He would be the perfect figurehead for Thor Hushovd. “You talk to a lot of people in your circle,” the Norwegian told TV 2. “It’s a small community. So we have had some conversations.”

The team manager of the Norwegian team declined to say how far those talks had gone. But in a team made up entirely of Norwegian and Danish riders, Vingegaard would certainly fit right in.

However, the former sprinter knows there are many obstacles. “What doesn’t appeal to me about signing Vingegaard is paying his salary. It’s quite high. But what might have been possible was bringing in a Danish company that wants to establish a presence in Norway.”

With additional Danish funding, a lot more would be possible. Vingegaard’s salary is difficult for the WorldTour team to afford, but they would like to make room for the Dane.

However, Hushovd previously told Dagbladet that he would prefer to welcome someone else. “Mads Pedersen is my dream rider. I love his racing style: he rides a bit like I used to. Maybe I’m a little too fixated on that.”

So is it completely impossible to sign Vingegaard? Not at all, according to Hushovd. “Vingegaard wouldn’t cost more than our entire budget. We have more than fifty riders, and he doesn’t earn that much. If something like that were to happen, the timing would have to be right.”

But Uno-X Mobility certainly doesn’t have an endless supply of money. That’s why the team has had to play it smart in the past. “The perfect scenario is to develop a rider of your own who can win a major race. You can buy a better chance, that’s for sure. But it costs money. We’ll start with the group we have and see what’s possible.”