Studded tires and losing liters of sweat in his girlfriend’s bathroom: How a Norwegian Tour sensation aims to step up in the Classics

Jonas Abrahamsen made a name for himself last summer with his aggressive riding style in the Tour de France, but the 29-year-old Norwegian had already shown flashes of his talent in the Classics earlier in the season. This spring, he hopes to continue that momentum, putting in extreme preparation to do so. IDLProCycling.com spoke with the friendly Viking of Uno-X in AlUla, where he shared details of his Spartan winter training routine.

Anyone who has come across Abrahamsen’s training schedule this winter—either on Strava or Instagram—would have been shocked. After a well-earned break at the Tour de France criterium in Singapore, he logged over 100 hours on the indoor trainer.

"If you live in Norway, you have to train on rollers," says Abrahamsen, who spent up to six hours a day riding indoors. "You get used to it, so it’s not that bad. In fact, you can do very specific interval training indoors. You can dial in your exact power and everything."

"My rollers are set up in my girlfriend’s apartment in Oslo, where we have a dedicated room for it. I open the window and put on some good music. What kind of music? Hip-hop, but honestly, a bit of everything. When you spend that many hours on the trainer, you need to have a broad taste in music."

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Abrahamsen cycled outdoors on studded tires

Unlike fellow Norwegian riders such as Johannes Staune-Mittet, who primarily trained indoors, Jonas Abrahamsen braved the freezing cold of -10°C to ride outside whenever possible. "I have studded tires on my bike, as well as a gravel bike with wider tires. It’s also important to have good overshoes and gloves. Honestly, it’s not that bad—actually, it’s better to ride in -10°C than in 3°C with rain." To warm up quickly afterward, he follows up his long endurance rides with a heat training session of about 50 minutes.

"Sometimes it’s nice to be able to ride outside when you’re already spending so much time on the trainer," Abrahamsen explains. "I did heat training five times over three weeks. That way, you warm up again after five hours of freezing on the bike in -10°C. And honestly, it’s also a mental challenge because you know you’re doing something totally crazy," he laughs.

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"I do the heat workouts in the bathroom, so the temperature stays consistent," says Abrahamsen, who trains at 30°C for these sessions. "I lose about two liters of fluid in 50 minutes, so it’s quite a lot. Luckily, we have an air purifier that collects the moisture—after a session, there’s about a liter and a half in it. Otherwise, my girlfriend’s apartment would look very different, haha."

This isn't a training method you'd hear from Dutch or Belgian riders, who nowadays prefer to escape to Spain for their winter preparation. "I’ve found a good balance. In November, after a long racing season, I want to be in Norway. In December, I usually spend two weeks in Gran Canaria before coming home for Christmas. In January, we have a training camp with the team, and then the season starts. After AlUla, I went straight to altitude training for three weeks before racing continuously until mid-April," says the Norwegian, who is currently training in the Sierra Nevada.

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Abrahamsen wants to step up in classics 

This is only the second time Abrahamsen has trained at altitude, after his first experience in May last year, which he believes paid off throughout the summer. "I felt like I improved a lot from it. In my first races back, I was able to win the Brussels Cycling Classic straight away," says the rider who gained attention in July for his aggressive racing style in the Tour de France.

"So, it’s great that I can now try altitude training for the Classics as well. I’m also adjusting certain things because spring races are largely about punch efforts, so I’m focusing more on that," says Abrahamsen, who is best known for his long-range breakaways. "It was good for me to attack so often last year, so hopefully, that experience helps in races that are over 200 kilometers long."

So, what can we expect from him? "My goal is to be better than last year. Hopefully, I can perform well in the Monuments—that’s my ambition. Flanders and Roubaix stand out as my biggest goals. But there are plenty of great races, and I still have many to win. Last year, I was already close in Dwars door Vlaanderen."

"I hope I’ve improved, but of course, that’s what everyone hopes for. I’m focusing more on the details—training just a bit better, eating smarter, and resting more efficiently. Hopefully, that pays off in March and April." Because after all, all those crazy training sessions have to count for something...

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