Info with one day to go

August 3 ^rd 2024 - 20:41 [GMT + 2]

• All is set for the 11th edition of the Arctic Race of Norway to begin on Sunday from Bodø. The capital of the Nordland region will be the epicenter of the event, hosting all teams as they race for four days that include gravel sectors, a mountaintop finish and a decisive uphill showdown on Wednesday.
• Following Stephen Williams’ victory in 2023, the UK is bringing two bright stars to the event this year. One, Chris Froome, represents British cycling’s heydays over the last decade. The other one, Joe Blackmore, is the incarnation of its future in the current one. They will be part of a solid field of 108 contenders spread over 18 teams, on which local teams Uno-X and Coop-Repsol stand out. The former consider itself “the team to watch,” while the latter will live an emotional week honoring André Drege, a member of the team who passed away just one month ago.
• Like every year, the world’s northernmost road cycling race is enjoying global TV and media coverage. Besides, the organization has teamed up with its partners in order to engage with the local communities and further resonate in the Norwegian society.

Racing to new heights

The city of Bodo has welcomed the peloton of the 2024 Arctic Race of Norway with clear blue skies and 25ºC temperatures. “The weather forecasts for the week are pretty good,” says race director Yannick Talabardon with a sunny smile. “The road will be in perfect conditions and the riders will have plenty of opportunities to put on a good show.” Like every year, the world’s northernmost road cycling race consists of four stages - two for a mass sprint, one for the climbers, and a final up-and-down stage. “The whole race is held in the Bodo area, which is pretty mountainous, and that makes the course a bit hillier than usual,” explains Talabardon. The second stage introduces two brand-new challenges for the riders. In the very first kilometers they will climb to Beiarfjellet (Cat 1, km 15,6), the highest summit in the history of the event at 608 meters above sea level, whereas with 20 kilometers to go they will hit the first-ever gravel sector in the Arctic Race. “This ‘grey road’ at Holtan will add some tension to the race, even though we believe it won’t tear the race apart. It is just a test and, if it’s successful, we may see more gravel at this race in the future.” The race director expects the summit finish at Jakobsbakken, in the outskirts of Sulitjelma, to be a bigger factor in the outcome of the overall classification. “It’s a very uneven climb - very hard at the bottom, then turns into a false flat and afterwards come some sharp uphill sections all the way to the finish.” The last stage from Glomfjord to Bodø will end around 8.30pm CEST and is going to be decided by a punchy one-kilometer climb just out of the city.

Chris Froome and Joe Blackmore: the legend and the future of British cycling

Chris Froome is the first-ever Tour de France overall winner to participate in the Arctic Race of Norway, yet he has already some beautiful memories linking him back to this country as he took two bronze medals in his only previous racing spell in Norwegian soil, back in the UCI Road World Championships Bergen 2017. “I had a beautiful time in Norway indeed,” he hints. “As for this week of racing, I expect it to be very intense. We have a good team to fight for the overall victory and I am very much looking forward to it. I won’t be fighting for any wins personally, but working for my teammates instead.” One of those is his compatriot Joe Blackmore, who astounded the cycling world earlier in the season by winning three UCI stage races on three different continents in just two months, topping off his amazing streak with a victory in the U23 version of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “I took a break in June and got some altitude training in the legs during July, and now I am confident I can start racing again in good shape,” he hopes. Blackmore will try to succeed fellow Briton and Israel-Premier Tech rider Stephen Williams in the palmares of this Arctic Race of Norway.

Thor Hushovd: “Uno-X is the team to watch”

The Arctic Race of Norway is a meaningful event for Thor Hushovd in many ways. He is the first-ever winner of this event, as he conquered its maiden edition back in 2013, and has acted as a Race Ambassador for years. He is Norway’s most renowned cycling legend - a former World Champion with 10 Tour de France stages to his name. And, last but not least, he is the General Manager of the country’s biggest professional cycling team, Uno-X Mobility. “I think we are the team to watch in this race,” he says with a knowing smile. “We have a strong team with many cards to play, and therefore we bear some responsibility on how the race pans out. Alexander Kristoff will be our sprinter for the first two stages, with Jonas Abrahamsen as a back-up as he is an asset in every terrain. As for the overall, Magnus Cort and Andreas Leknessund are our designated leaders.” Hushovd is not shy when defining Uno-X’s ambitions: “The perfect outcome for us would be winning both one stage and the GC.” As a former overall winner himself, he knows what it takes to pull off such a success. “You need to be an all-rounder in good shape and to stay 100% switched on throughout the race. The Arctic Race is often decided by a few seconds, and thus the overall winner needs to be active and contest the intermediate sprints. This year’s summit finish is tough yet not super hard, so you need both climbing legs and sprinting skills in order to excel.”

An emotional week for Coop-Repsol with André Drege in their hearts

The peloton of the 2024 Arctic Race of Norway will feature four new teams on its ranks. Two are a couple of the oldest structures in professional cycling, Lotto-dstny (established in 1985) and VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè (with a history dating back to 1982), while the other two are the world’s newest ProTeams, Tudor Pro Cycling and TDT-Unibet. On the other hand, we have two squads that are yet to miss an edition of this event - Belgium’s Flanders - Baloise and Norway’s Coop-Repsol. It’s a very special race for the latter, not only because of the home factor but also because it marks its return to racing after the Tour of Austria on which its rider André Drege lost his life due to a fatal crash on a descent. “This will be our first race after the accident,” says the team’s sports director, Stian Remme. “This summer we have been focused on things other than the sport itself. We have talked to our riders about how they want to approach this race and we have decided to take it stage by stage, as André used to do, with his same spirit.” The Arctic Race of Norway will honor the memory of André Drege, who participated twice in the event, by holding a minute of applause before the start of the first stage on Sunday. André’s parents, themselves keen followers of cycling, will be present in Bodo to honor their son and support his former teammates.

All fans aboard!

Besides being a world-class event that showcases Norway before spectators from all over the globe and a top-notch race that excites every cycling fan, the Arctic Race of Norway makes a huge effort along with its partners in order to engage with the local community. A landmark project in this edition are the Equinor Trophies, meant to be delivered to the leader of the young rider classification after every stage and created by 13-year-old youngsters from different schools in the Nordland region that hosts the event. It’s not the only initiative meant to inspire kids to do sport and become better versions of themselves, as the SNN Mini Arctic Race offers children the possibility to race their bikes in Bodø, Fauske and Ørnes. On Sunday, August 4th, cycling enthusiasts can also take part in the ARN Challenge, a sportive version of the Arctic Race of Norway held over the route of the first stage of the professional race and finishing at the very same spot where the stars will sprint in Rognan. All the people standing on the roadside to watch the riders will also enjoy the passing of the event caravan, featuring more than 30 vehicles promoting the race’s partners.

How to follow the 2024 Arctic Race of Norway?

Like its ten previous editions, the 2024 Arctic Race of Norway will enjoy worldwide coverage in order to bring the beauties of the Norwegian landscapes to every corner of the globe. Host broadcaster TV2 Norway will produce live images for all four days of the event, with the final two hours of racing in the case of the first and the third stage and a full broadcast for both the second and the last stage. The world’s northernmost road cycling race will be shown live all over Europe and Asia by Eurosport, while Supersport will broadcast it in Subsaharan Africa and Abu Dhabi Media will bring it to North Africa and the Middle East. Households in Japan (Jsports), New Zealand (Sky Sport), Australia (SBS), Canada and the USA (FloBikes) will also be able to enjoy live TV coverage of the race. Fans can also get updates from the race on social media, via the hashtag #ArcticRace. They will also be the ‘jury on duty’ when it comes to award the Viking Jersey, a best teammate prize that will be decided by the votes casted on the race’s official X profile (@ArcticRaceofN).