Norwegian cycling is currently enjoying an upswing. Interest in both competitive cycling and cycling for keeping fit has skyrocketed over the last four to five years, for young and old alike. Much of the credit for this can be attributed to big names in the sport such as Thor Hushovd and Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå. But determined efforts are also being made to encourage children and young people to start cycling.
31/07/2008 :: At the beginning of 2008 there were 260 cycling clubs in Norway, and since then 25 new clubs have been established.
Norwegian stars lead the way
One of the main reasons for the growing interest in the sport is that a number of Norwegian cyclists are making their mark in international competitions. Thor Hushovd, Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå and Kurt Asle Arvesen are already established stars, while Edvald Boasson Hagen is a young and promising cyclist.
Thor Hushovd – “the bull from Grimstad”
Thor Hushovd, also known as “the bull from Grimstad”, a town on the south coast of Norway, is an expert sprinter who specialises in the “classic” challenges, in other words the most prestigious one-day races, along with winning sprint points and stages in the major multi-day events.
When Thor was 19, his motivation was flagging and he was considering giving up cycling. But he changed his mind while on holiday in the Canary Islands, when he saw his friend Kurt Asle Arvesen become the Under-23s world champion in the road race in San Sebastian, Northern Spain.
Thor Hushovd’s greatest strength is the sprint. Here he is seen fighting doggedly during the Tour de France. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum/SCANPIX
Thor could have become a professional cyclist when he was 20, but he chose to prioritise finishing his studies and completing Norway’s mandatory military service. One year later he joined the French professional cycling team Crédit Agricole, where he has remained ever since.
Following his professional breakthrough, Thor’s successes have included winning stages in the Tour de France and in Giro d’Italia. In 2005 he also won the green jersey for the greatest number of sprint points in the Tour de France.
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå – “the iron lady of the West”
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå, who hails from Bjørheimsbygd, near Stavanger, is one of the world’s top female cross-country mountain bikers.
From her first encounter with the local cycling club, it only took Gunn-Rita a few months before she was hooked on the sport. Soon after, she signed a contract with a Dutch mountain bike team. She has never looked back.
Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå is one of the world’s best mountain bikers. Photo: gunnrita.com
She has won the world cup a total of four times. During the 2004 season, she won every race she took part in, including the Olympic gold medal in Athens.
Young people are the future
Attracting children to the sport must be a priority if Norway is to maintain and further increase the current level of interest in cycling.
The Norwegian Cycling Federation, in collaboration with the television channel TV2, has therefore established Norway’s biggest cycling race for children, “Tour of Norway for Kids”.
The race was held for the first time in 2005. The event can be an important way of recruiting youngsters to the sport, but the main focus is on having fun.
The main focus in the “Tour of Norway for Kids” is on having fun. Around 10 000 young cyclists from all over the country take part in the race. Photo: http://tourkids.no
The Tour stops at 40 towns on its route through Norway, from Sortland in the north to Mandal in the south. In true Tour de France style, participants can compete for a green jersey for sprint points, a yellow jersey for the overall leader, and a polka dot jersey for the “king of the mountains”, i.e. the participant with the greatest number of points for the hardest ascents. Who knows, perhaps the race can even give a foretaste of future triumphs for some of the participants?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs