Jørgen Nordhagen (18) embarks on Jumbo-Visma adventure after final cross-country skiing winter: "It's going to be a crazy year"

He would have preferred to close his cycling season 2023 on a better note, but the smile never left the face of Jørgen Nordhagen on Saturday morning. The 18-year-old Norwegian didn't finish due to an early crash in the road race at the European Cycling Championships for juniors. Therefore, with a bit of physical damage, his focus can now shift to the winter period, during which Nordhagen will put on skis one more time and prepare himself in cross-country skiing for his time at Jumbo-Visma.

Nordhagen didn’t fall hard on Saturday, but anyone who falls behind on the loop around the VAM mountain often doesn't recover. "I didn't have much pain, but it took a minute to get another bike. By then my race was already lost. I rode to the finish, took care of my wounds a bit, and then calmly watched the finale," said the top talent in conversation with IDLProCycling.com.

Nordhagen took great pleasure in watching dominant Jumbo-Visma

The European Championships were the last goal on the road for Nordhagen, who finished second in the European Championships Time Trial for juniors, behind road world champion Albert Philipsen. This season he won eleven times among juniors (including several classifications), so the Norwegian isn't too upset about his crash at the European Championships. "It was a good season from the start, actually. My big goal as a classification rider and climber was to perform well in the Nations’ Cup races, and I won two," referring to his victories in Eroica in Italy and Course de la Paix in the Czech Republic. "With the silver in the European Championships Time Trial on top of that, I am satisfied with my year."

Nordhagen's world will look different in the coming time. At the end of 2022, he signed a contract with Jumbo-Visma, which will start on January 1, 2024, and run until the end of 2027. The coming season he will race for the U23 team, before making the step to the WorldTour in 2025. "It's going to be a crazy year. If you look at the results of Jumbo-Visma in recent years, I can fully trust the process and the system within the team. I am looking forward to starting and having a good winter, with a few training camps."

Adjusting and training, these are the words that Nordhagen often mentions. He is not yet considering training with the WorldTour guys. "I will train with the development team and will only do half a season anyway. I will first ski and then we'll see how it goes. If the legs are good, you can take the next step, but for now I am taking it step by step and we'll see where it ends. It's already nice, for me and the team, that Jumbo-Visma had such a good year. It's very motivating to see all those well-performing guys."

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Nordhagen during the European Time Trial Championships in Emmen (on a Jumbo-Visma bike)

Last winter on skis for Jørgen Nordhagen?

About that skiing: it seems that Nordhagen will be doing it very fanatically for the last time this coming winter. "I want to keep the combination going as long as possible. It’s a great exercise that helps me train and develop my whole body," he said at his contract signing in 2022. A year later, he is still just as enthusiastic, but also more realistic. "I’ve always done cross-country skiing, so the plan is to do one more full season and see how it goes. However, I will be heading towards the WorldTour in 2025, so it will be more difficult to participate in cross-country races. The focus will then shift more towards bike training camps. I would say now that 2023/2024 will be my last major cross-country skiing winter."

At Jumbo-Visma there will undoubtedly be a bit of a culture shock, but that doesn't mean the very young Nordhagen is hiding his ambition. "I want to do well in all kinds of races, but I will also have to get used to racing at the U23 level. Getting used to a new peloton and racing as a team will be the most important. The races with longer climbs and time trials will suit me best, so those are the goals for 2024."