Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Development team shutting, reducing sponsorship for national devo races and national junior squad.
The steps taken to get to WT as soon as possible seem to have the side effect if hollowing out the national cycling ecosystem downstream. This is Thor pissing in his own trousers to warm himself.

For example the decision to stop organizing "Uno-X Development Weekend" with Gylne Gutuer (will still be organized as a part of the Uno-X Norwegian Cup this year) and Lillehammer GP was taken before Hushovd came in, so he cant be called out for this.

Uno-X is the main sponsor of the Norwegian Cup and they are playing a key role to keep this race series going. Unfortunlately the "Tour te Fjells" got canceled this year, but from what I know that was because of personal issues for key members of the local organizers, and this race will be back next year. I think Uno-X therefore is still doing their best to keep the national cycling ecosystem alive.

The failure to field an Avenir team should not be put on Uno-X, even if Uno-X basically have paid for the U23 national team alone the last few years. Coop and Visma offered to pay most of the bill this year and still the federation said no.

When it comes to the Devo team I can kind of understand the reason to shut it down, even if I disagree with that decision (but Im not the one paying for the team..). When so many of the biggest Norwegian (and Danish talents) instead go to WT Devo Teams (all the guys in Visma-system, Ørn Kristoff to Wanty etc), then I kind of get it why Hushovd think the dev team is meaningless. Uno-X is sponsoring Lillehammer CK which had a conti team this season and they have (are still?) a sponsor for ColoQuick, so I do think it make sense to send the tier B and tier C talents to teams like this instead of having a Dev team when youre anyway missing out on the tier A talents.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Probably completely unrelated to these events, but did Arvesen ever tell anti doping authorities what he knew? I saw one interview from way back where he claimed he knew nothing of how Bjarne Riis organized team doping at CSC.

 

[tobydawq]

Probably completely unrelated to these events, but did Arvesen ever tell anti doping authorities what he knew? I saw one interview from way back where he claimed he knew nothing of how Bjarne Riis organized team doping at CSC.

I hardly think this is the place for that.

 

[yaco]

For example the decision to stop organizing "Uno-X Development Weekend" with Gylne Gutuer (will still be organized as a part of the Uno-X Norwegian Cup this year) and Lillehammer GP was taken before Hushovd came in, so he cant be called out for this.

Uno-X is the main sponsor of the Norwegian Cup and they are playing a key role to keep this race series going. Unfortunlately the "Tour te Fjells" got canceled this year, but from what I know that was because of personal issues for key members of the local organizers, and this race will be back next year. I think Uno-X therefore is still doing their best to keep the national cycling ecosystem alive.

The failure to field an Avenir team should not be put on Uno-X, even if Uno-X basically have paid for the U23 national team alone the last few years. Coop and Visma offered to pay most of the bill this year and still the federation said no.

When it comes to the Devo team I can kind of understand the reason to shut it down, even if I disagree with that decision (but Im not the one paying for the team..). When so many of the biggest Norwegian (and Danish talents) instead go to WT Devo Teams (all the guys in Visma-system, Ørn Kristoff to Wanty etc), then I kind of get it why Hushovd think the dev team is meaningless. Uno-X is sponsoring Lillehammer CK which had a conti team this season and they have (are still?) a sponsor for ColoQuick, so I do think it make sense to send the tier B and tier C talents to teams like this instead of having a Dev team when youre anyway missing out on the tier A talents.

When you restrict yourself to only employing Danish or Norwegian, it makes sense, that some junior/under 23 talents, will slip through the cracks. After all, you can not place all in the team.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

They won't really need a development structure either, if they end up abandoning the Danish/Norwegian riders only policy, which at the moment seems to be the single/easiest solution to reach WT level as soon as possible. Question is, if becoming a WT team will actually bring in the sponsors they hope for, or if it will just increase the cost of running the team. That said, they are not the only team with multiple sponsors which are part of the same corporation, since securing sponsorships is often complicated.

 

[Pozzovivo]

When you restrict yourself to only employing Danish or Norwegian, it makes sense, that some junior/under 23 talents, will slip through the cracks. After all, you can not place all in the team.

Some yes, the very very best of them should not. If you restrict yourself to two nationlities - you rely on getting the best talents.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

When you restrict yourself to only employing Danish or Norwegian, it makes sense, that some junior/under 23 talents, will slip through the cracks. After all, you can not place all in the team.

Yes, but I think it’s wrong to look at the situation and say “some have slipped through”. From the UNO-X point of view it’s only a few that have slipped through into the UNO-X system, and a majority of the biggest talents have said no to them. I think Nordhagen was the one that pushed them over the line, after even signing his brother to the dev team in an attempt to make their setup more attractive for him.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Yes, but I think it’s wrong to look at the situation and say “some have slipped through”. From the UNO-X point of view it’s only a few that have slipped through into the UNO-X system, and a majority of the biggest talents have said no to them. I think Nordhagen was the one that pushed them over the line, after even signing his brother to the dev team in an attempt to make their setup more attractive for him.

Yeah. It must be tough for uno-x to see Nordhagen drop Johannessen with ease in Lidl tour. He was the real gem they needed for GC ambitions at the tour.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

It must be tough for uno-x to see Nordhagen drop Johannessen with ease in Lidl tour.

Did this happen on the last stage? I didn’t see that one, but Johannessen beat Nordhagen on all stages so I’m not sure how correct view of the reality this statement is.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Stage 2 - the Lauterburg climb. THJ came back due to group dynamics in front and Lidl pulling behind. There was another time as well - but don't remember the name of the climb, but may have been the last stage yes. Also this time he came back. It's clear to me that Nordhagen is the real deal.

 

[Netserk]

Probably completely unrelated to these events, but did Arvesen ever tell anti doping authorities what he knew? I saw one interview from way back where he claimed he knew nothing of how Bjarne Riis organized team doping at CSC.

ADD ( Anti Doping Denmark) report..

So the report is coming tuesday and can be downloaded 09:30 CET on anti doping denmarks website.. http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/cykling/efter-ekstra-bladets-afsloering-nu-kommer-doping-rapporten/5618098 http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/kommentarer/allanolsen/det-ligner-mafia-metoder/5617937...

forum.cyclingnews.com

 

[ingsve]

The failure to field an Avenir team should not be put on Uno-X, even if Uno-X basically have paid for the U23 national team alone the last few years. Coop and Visma offered to pay most of the bill this year and still the federation said no.

Apparently the Avenir issue might be solved now. One of the main culprits was apparently that the federation had moved into new offices in conjunction with the new velodrome being built and the plan was for those offices to be shared with other organisations but for this year no additional tenants had been found. This has now changed so that the federation is no longer left with the whole bill for the lease and that will help the economy going forward.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Article about Ridley (CX-team) in Sporza, I'll paraphrase

Some Uno-X riders will do a slight adventure in cyclocross this year.

Ridley focusses on all three off-road disciplines. CycloX is the best return of investment according to the CEO, Gravel is still growing but currently their most important discipline going forward.

In a couple years Ridley wants to be the biggest off-road team (with the help of Uno-X)

 

[ingsve]

I'm actually kind of impressed with the responses from X's AI Grok.

Prompt:
What are UNO-X chances given as a estimated percentage of being promoted to the World Tour in 2026.

Reply:

Estimating the exact percentage chance of UNO-X Mobility being promoted to the World Tour in 2026 is speculative, but based on the available information, here's an analysis:

• Current Position: UNO-X Mobility has been performing well in recent seasons, with significant results in 2024 that have moved them closer to the promotion zone. They've shown ambition with their recruitment and performance, notably with riders like Magnus Cort securing the team's first WorldTour victory.
• Points Gap: At the end of August 2024, they were less than 2,000 UCI points away from the World Tour promotion positions, having halved a deficit of 3,851 points from earlier in the year. This indicates a strong trajectory.
• 2025 Season: The performance in the 2025 season will be critical. If UNO-X continues their aggressive racing strategy and manages to secure more high-profile wins or consistent high placings, their chances increase. Their recruitment strategy for 2025, including retaining key riders like Jonas Abrahamsen until 2028, shows a commitment to long-term success.
• Competition: Teams like Lotto Dstny and Israel-Premier Tech are currently favored for promotion due to their points tally and past performances. However, UNO-X's performance trajectory suggests they could challenge for one of the remaining spots if they maintain or accelerate their pace.

Given these factors:

• Estimated Chance:
  • High Scenario: If UNO-X continues its upward trend, secures major wins, and perhaps benefits from underperformance by teams currently in the promotion positions, they could have around a 30-40% chance.
  • Moderate Scenario: With consistent but not exceptional performance, maintaining current momentum, they might have a 20-30% chance.
  • Low Scenario: If they stagnate or face setbacks, their chance might be closer to 10-20%.

Therefore, a reasonable estimate, considering all factors, might be around 25-35% for UNO-X Mobility to achieve World Tour status by 2026. This percentage reflects their strong 2024 season but acknowledges the competition and the uncertainty of a full season's performance in 2025. Remember, this is speculative and based on current trends and the information provided.

This seems like a pretty level headed and accurate assessment. I can't really see any obvious faults in the reasoning.

 

[Pozzovivo]

I'm actually kind of impressed with the responses from X's AI Grok.

Prompt:
What are UNO-X chances given as a estimated percentage of being promoted to the World Tour in 2026.

Reply:

This seems like a pretty level headed and accurate assessment. I can't really see any obvious faults in the reasoning.

Very very optimistic imo. I think even the lowest estimate of 10-20% is way too optimistic. They are 2,800 points behind Cofidis and more behind DSM. No way they are closing that gap. I'll say 1-5% is a more realistic assessment and those percentages are reflecting the random chance that a WT team folds.

 

[ingsve]

Very very optimistic imo. I think even the lowest estimate of 10-20% is way too optimistic. They are 2,800 points behind Cofidis and more behind DSM. No way they are closing that gap. I'll say 1-5% is a more realistic assessment and those percentages are reflecting the random chance that a WT team folds.

Well, when you consider that they beat Cofidis by 1100 points last season they would only need to improve on that gap by 1700 points to put some real pressure on Cofidis. A Cofidis who lost 2 of their best riders.

 

[Pozzovivo]

Well, when you consider that they beat Cofidis by 1100 points last season they would only need to improve on that gap by 1700 points to put some real pressure on Cofidis. A Cofidis who lost 2 of their best riders.

In terms of UCI points, Aranburu consistently outperforms Zingle, and Teuns and Moniquet earned the same number of points as GM last year. In my view, Cofidis’s other transfers are also a net positive—though you may disagree?

More importantly, Cofidis had an uncharacteristically poor season last year, and I expect them to return closer to their typical level. Several key riders underperformed significantly, and I find it more likely that Cofidis will outperform Uno-X in the UCI rankings next season than the other way around.

To put it another way, if Cofidis has a merely average season, they should score around 9,000 points—comparable to Arkea’s tally this year, and I consider Cofidis stronger than Arkea. It’s also 1,500 points fewer than Cofidis scored in 2023, giving them an average of 9,300 over the last two seasons. For Uno-X to overtake them at that point, they would need 11,800 points—more than EF managed this year—placing Uno-X among the world’s top 11 teams. That scenario seems very unlikely to me.

Uno-X would likely need more than 11,500 points overall, and I just don’t see that happening with their current squad.

 

[Squire]

Uno-X will need someone to quickly step up into world-beater territory to have a chance in this cycle. And while THJ and Wærenskjold still might have some development left, I don't see that happening at all. Leknessund has massively stagnated too, for some reason. Kulset is developing too slowly to be of any use in their current WT bid, but will be interesting to see if he can finally get some results in 2025. Got a lot of solid racing volume in this year, with just one DNF (and one DSQ).

 

[Pozzovivo]

Uno-X will need someone to quickly step up into world-beater territory to have a chance in this cycle. And while THJ and Wærenskjold still might have some development left, I don't see that happening at all. Leknessund has massively stagnated too, for some reason. Kulset is developing too slowly to be of any use in their current WT bid, but will be interesting to see if he can finally get some results in 2025. Got a lot of solid racing volume in this year, with just one DNF (and one DSQ).

THJ can still step up significantly if he gets a clean run without injuries. He can be a top 20 rider imo. Hirschi - Ciccone level. Not sure how SW can develop - WT TT wins will be difficult on current equipment and is he really that fast of a sprinter to contend for big wins?

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Not sure how SW can develop - WT TT wins will be difficult on current equipment and is he really that fast of a sprinter to contend for big wins?

For next season it's points that really counts and not necessarily big wins. Therefore WT TT wins are not relevant, as Renewi Tour is the only WT race where a guy like Wærenskjold can be competitive in the GC and fight for big points, but that's a stretch with the classic Geraardsbergen stage.

What is realistic for Wærenskjold is to win/top 3 a couple of smaller stage races like he's done in the past like Baloise Belgium Tour, Tour of Denmark &Tour Poutoi. The potential for big points are in the one day races, where he's shown potential and just a little bit better could result in a lot more points. I think there are 4 races he should target in the sprint, where top 10 results (maybe top 5 as well) should be very realistic: Classic Brugge De-Panne, Gent-Wevelgem, Scheldeprijs and Roubaix. Together with the opening weekend and maybe Danilith Noekere Koerse and Bredene Koksijde these are the races he should do in the spring, not like this year where he went to San Remo (in the era of Pogacar, MVDP etc Uno-X should send Cort and THJ to San Remo, not Wærenskjold and Kristoff..), Milano-Torino and Tirreno.

So focus on the flat one day races up until Roubaix, then a race break and altitude camp in May, before some flatter races before Belgium Tour and the NC. If Uno-X goes to the Tour he will be there, but I think he wont score much point there. The points will mainly come in the blocks of mid February to Roubaix, end of May to NC and then in August and early September.

In 2023 he took 897 points and in 2024 he took 1042. I dont think he needs to improve much to be up there at 1500-1750 points.

 

[ingsve]

Uno-X will need someone to quickly step up into world-beater territory to have a chance in this cycle. And while THJ and Wærenskjold still might have some development left, I don't see that happening at all. Leknessund has massively stagnated too, for some reason. Kulset is developing too slowly to be of any use in their current WT bid, but will be interesting to see if he can finally get some results in 2025. Got a lot of solid racing volume in this year, with just one DNF (and one DSQ).

One thing I think speaks in their favor is that they have had a steady increase in points almost every season except 2022 but that was compensated with an extra jump in 2023 instead and the team has not gotten weaker at least. Ofc course their progression will flatten out at some point but if it follows the same path then they would land at over 11000 points next season. They also rode a lot of the WT one day races for the first time last season and they should really have the capacity to do better in them so having another crack at them this year will surely help. They also have new bikes and new tires and they notoriously had issues with their tires at times last season.

So I'm cautiously optimistic that they will at least put pressure on other teams to also perform if they want to stay in the WT.

 

[Mayomaniac]

For next season it's points that really counts and not necessarily big wins. Therefore WT TT wins are not relevant, as Renewi Tour is the only WT race where a guy like Wærenskjold can be competitive in the GC and fight for big points, but that's a stretch with the classic Geraardsbergen stage.

What is realistic for Wærenskjold is to win/top 3 a couple of smaller stage races like he's done in the past like Baloise Belgium Tour, Tour of Denmark &Tour Poutoi. The potential for big points are in the one day races, where he's shown potential and just a little bit better could result in a lot more points. I think there are 4 races he should target in the sprint, where top 10 results (maybe top 5 as well) should be very realistic: Classic Brugge De-Panne, Gent-Wevelgem, Scheldeprijs and Roubaix. Together with the opening weekend and maybe Danilith Noekere Koerse and Bredene Koksijde these are the races he should do in the spring, not like this year where he went to San Remo (in the era of Pogacar, MVDP etc Uno-X should send Cort and THJ to San Remo, not Wærenskjold and Kristoff..), Milano-Torino and Tirreno.

So focus on the flat one day races up until Roubaix, then a race break and altitude camp in May, before some flatter races before Belgium Tour and the NC. If Uno-X goes to the Tour he will be there, but I think he wont score much point there. The points will mainly come in the blocks of mid February to Roubaix, end of May to NC and then in August and early September.

In 2023 he took 897 points and in 2024 he took 1042. I dont think he needs to improve much to be up there at 1500-1750 points.

I'm kinda surprised that no bigger team tried to buy him out of his contract. Everything about him screams world class leadout man + Roubaix guy, but with his TT and rouleur skills he'd come in handy on all kinds of terrain.

 

[Leadbelly]

Everything next year (no injuries, no bad luck, the "right" invites) would need to go their way I think for them to have a chance of getting a WT spot this time round, but they're definitely in the mix for one of the auto-wildcards - I'd almost have them as favourites ahead of both XDS and Tudor. Should be a good battle anyway.

 

[abbulf]

Agreed - the auto wild cards is a more realistic target. And getting invites to all wt races will still be significant improvement compared to the current situation, where there is a serious risk of no grand tour in 2025.

 

[ingsve]

I'm kinda surprised that no bigger team tried to buy him out of his contract. Everything about him screams world class leadout man + Roubaix guy, but with his TT and rouleur skills he'd come in handy on all kinds of terrain.

What really speaks against anyone paying a lot to buy him out is his positioning skills. He simply prefers to sit right at the back at all times which is a big disadvantage for him since it's a big effort to move to the front late in races to do the job if you're not already dropped because the peloton split.

With his size he should be the type of rider who helps to shield his smaller team captain for example and not someone who themself would need help to keep them at the front of the pack.

Idk if something like this goes away with experience or not or how you even go about improving it.