World Championship turmoil in Norway, which seems to leave the best riders at home due to interference from teams: "The federation is not clear enough"

When you think of strong Norwegian riders in 2025, names like Tobias Halland Johannessen come to mind quickly. The Uno-X rider finished sixth in the Tour de France this summer. His teammate Jonas Abrahamsen even won a stage in the same Tour. Representing Bahrain Victorious, Torstein Træen wore the red jersey for several days during the Vuelta a España.

Taking these three to the World Championships in Rwanda could be an excellent choice. However, the Norwegian federation has other ideas. At least, it has selected Sven Erik Bystrøm (Groupama-FDJ), Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X), Johannes Staune-Mittet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), and Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). And that is a striking choice.

The Norwegian federation can expect harsh criticism at home for this choice. Norwegian cycling expert Mads Kaggestad thinks he knows why men like Johannessen and Abrahamsen were not selected. “I am critical of the federation's level of ambition. They are not clear enough and lack the confidence to tell the teams that this is important and that we want them to prioritize it.”

There is also a lack of good communication. "The federation needs to start communicating much earlier. Well, a lot is last-minute and random. It's important to circle the World Championships in the calendar. It's been somewhat forgotten, and people don't really believe in it," says TV2 critically.

“There needs to be better interaction, because there is insufficient motivation,” Kaggestad continues. The expert, therefore, believes that the association should have taken action much earlier. “You have to sit down with the riders and the teams to focus on the World Championships.”

Kaggestad's words sparked a furious response from Kai Lexberg, the Norwegian national coach. “I don't understand what he means by this. Communication with teams and riders has been good. I sent the riders an email on December 20 last year asking who was interested in participating in the World Championships cycling,” he snapped.

Nevertheless, Kaggestad stands by his position. "As things stand, the World Championships are not a priority, and it's not as if you believe you can do well. You watch as a national team," said the expert, who is disappointed that his country seems to be leaving its best riders at home for the World Championships in Rwanda.

For national coach Lexberg, the ambition is clear: to win a medal. Something that Kaggestad believes is highly unlikely. “A top ten finish would be a great result, but it's not something people will cheer about. That's a shame, because the World Championships are a natural and unifying goal.”

The reason for all this appears to be the thrilling battle for promotion to the WorldTour in which Uno-X is involved. Team leader Thor Hushovd explained it earlier. “There are a lot of points to be earned at the World Championships if you perform well, but it's a tough course that requires altitude training, preparation, and vaccinations in advance.”

“We didn't say that the riders weren't allowed to participate, but that other things might be more important,” Hushovd explained. The national coach understood, but was disappointed. “I would love to have the best riders with me, or to have the opportunity to pick them, but that's not the reality, so there's nothing I can do about it.”

Sven Erik Bystrøm