Norwegian cyclist Alexander Kristoff won the prestigious final stage of The Tour de France last year. The UAE Team Emirates sprinter kicks off 2019 hoping for more success in the team’s ‘home race’, the brand new UAE Tour – which starts in Abu Dhabi this month and ends in Dubai a week later. Open Skies, February 2019
You won a stage in the Abu Dhabi Tour last year, and you’ve won eight times in Oman. What is it you like about racing in the Middle East?
It was a really nice experience last year – and not just because I won the opening stage! The racing is organised so well, the hotels and the weather are great, and now because it’s a week-long race across the UAE it’s a much more hilly than before. It’s exciting, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a cool tour this year for everyone – riders, fans and viewers too.
So is it a tour you think you can win overall, or will you just try and take the flatter sprint stages?
I will go for the sprints, but it will be very hard for me to win overall as there are at least two mountain stages. But we will have other riders on our team who will be going for the general classification jersey. The beauty of cycling is that there is always a stage for someone, whether they’re a climber, a sprinter or something in between.
Being part of a team with UAE on the front of its jersey as it rides around the UAE will make it a very special experience, won’t it?
For sure. It’s a very important race for our team and we are very motivated; we’ve really been preparing hard for this one. We know how much it would mean to everyone in the UAE to win, and also what it would mean for cycling in the Emirates.
There are obviously some higher profile races as the season goes on, like the Tour de France. But is the UAE Tour a good chance to test your legs?
Absolutely. If you do well here it can set you up for the season; a win is always nice and would give me great confidence going into the Spring Classics [the famous one-day races in Italy, Belgium, France and Netherlands]. You can also see how all your rivals are getting on and test yourself against them, so it’s important for your mind as well as your legs. But the young guys always seem to get faster!
You’ve won some big races, but crossing the finish line first on the Champs–Élysées must be one of your best moments on a bike?
Yes, I’ll always remember it. It’s amazing to look at the pictures, me standing on the podium with the Arc De Triomphe in the background, wearing the European Champions’ jersey. It’s such an iconic stage and probably the most famous for general sports fans: it transcends cycling. Every year they show who’s won there, so as I get older I’ll always be able to see my victory. I’ll probably get prouder and prouder!
It was a very close finish though. Did you have a moment as you approached the finish line where you thought “I’m going to do this”?
Many of the very fastest sprinters didn’t make it to Paris so I knew I had a big chance. But I had to work really hard and maybe only three metres from the line did I think I would win it. It was a big relief more than anything, as it had been four years since I’d won at the Tour de France. I’ll never forget it.
The UAE Tour, February 24 – March 2, UAE. https://www.theuaetour.com
