– Sure at Leknessund will make his Tour de France debut this year
– I am absolutely sure that we will see him on the starting line in Copenhagen on July 1, says TV 2’s cycling expert Magnus Drivenes.
The 23-year-old Tromsø boy, who rides for Team DSM, has not ridden a single ride since completing the Tour de Romandie on 1 May. The last three weeks he has spent on altitude gathering on Tenerife. On Sunday, he is on the starting list for the Tour of Switzerland, which is seen by many as the perfect charge for the Tour de France.
– When he is sent to altitude for three weeks instead of cycling the Tour of Norway at home, it must mean that DSM has clear plans for him to go to the Tour de France. When you look at the races he has ridden this year, it is exclusively tough WorldTour races.
– In the races he has ridden, he has largely been either the best climber, or close to the best. Only Thymen Arensman and Romain Bardet have climbed better this year, and they have ridden the Giro d’Italia. Especially the 11th place overall in Paris-Nice and the performance on the last stage I think has been decisive for a Tour place for Leknessund, says Drivenes.
Friday 1. July: See Tour de France
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During the Tour of Norway at the end of May, the team’s sports director, Bennie Lambregts, confirmed to TV 2 that Leknessund is on the so-called «long-list» for the Tour de France. But DSM holds the cards to the chest and the protagonist himself can not confirm anything.
– The layer has not been taken out, but I at least want to be in good shape this summer, then we will see where I can use it, says Leknessund with a smile on his face.
– What would such an opportunity mean to you?
– First and foremost, it would have meant that I had had three hard weeks ahead of me. But it is clear; it had been fat. This is something you must have on your CV to be able to call yourself a proper cycling professional.
One of four Norwegians for the tour?
Leknessund has long been put on as one of the greatest talents in Norwegian cycling. Ahead of the 2021 season, he left Uno-X in favor of DSM.
– That Leknessund gets to run the Tour de France, shows what faith they have in him. Last year’s season was tough at times, but he showed glimpses of what he’s good at. He could probably have driven at a lower level and been fighting better on the results list, but he has clearly said he has driven. I want to get into the race with a little low shoulders, while at the same time he is offensive and grabbed the chances he gets. It is incredibly important for his development that he now gets a three-week ride in his legs, Drivenes believes.
From a cabin – at an altitude of 2000 meters on Tenerife – Leknessund dares to answer what goal he sets himself if he gets a place on the team for this summer’s big adventure.
– It may sound «toilet», but it is to implement.
However, TV 2’s cycling expert aims higher, even though we are talking about a first trip.
– Both the best climbers and the best sprinters for DSM have been in the Giro d’Italia. It is very likely that Leknessund will get a free role in the Tour. It will probably be too tough to assert itself in the summary, but Leknessund is absolutely capable of competing for stage victories on tough breaking stages. He has great driving strength and good capacity, but lacks a little experience in such situations at this level.
In that case, this will probably mean that there will be four Norwegian riders in the Tour de France. Alexander Kristoff seems confident in a place. In the same layer is probably UAE professional Vegard Stake Laengen. Edvald Boasson-Hagen is probably not a safe bet, but he has this in his plans.
Down from the height
Tomorrow, Leknessund leaves the Spanish holiday island with a course for Switzerland and eight stages that offer different terrain. Around Switzerland was without a doubt the big highlight for the strong climbing rider last year. There he was scheduled to be an assistant rider for Tiesj Benoot, but was better than him on several of the toughest stages, and had to wait for him by order of the team. Before the final stage, he was number 14 in the summary and rode in the youth jersey, but instead of defending himself to an honorable place, he was part of an offensive DSM team that attacked with three riders and went all in to climb the lists. Headwinds and teams that did what they could to defend their top ten places made it tough to stay away.
– It is a ride that suits me well. I did well here last year and did to do at least as well this year. The hard stages, but the mountains are fortunately as steep as they are in the example around the Basque Country, where it goes straight up.
– Have you missed cycling rides – after a break of six weeks?
– It has actually been nice to have some time off from riding, but I look forward to getting started. It will be good to get me down from the mountain, says that he has also eaten lunch in the cabin where several of the DSM riders have spent the last time.
– There is a hotel up here where many of the riders from the other teams live. We have chosen to redeem ourselves in a cabin with a very simple standard. It has really been delicious. Here is a little different to invent, so we get to train very well. It is usually a trip of 4-5 hours every day and 4000 altitude meters.