The first step for the 'new Vingegaard' at Visma: "Those who call me the new Jonas don’t know his level"

Jørgen Nordhagen has been hyped for so long now that we would almost forget that he rode his first WorldTour race as a Visma | Lease a Bike pro last Saturday in Strade Bianche. The 20-year-old Norwegian is considered the new Jonas Vingegaard and the future GC rider, but the climber remains remarkably level-headed. IDLProCycling.com spoke extensively with him about his first winter with Vingegaard and co, the setback in Oman, saying goodbye to skiing, and much more!

The fact that Nordhagen finished 85th in Strade Bianche, 21 seconds behind the last rider, could be considered a minor detail to many. The fact that he finished the race was already a wonderful achievement. Nordhagen was scheduled to make his debut in Oman in early February. That didn't happen due to illness. "At least I'm healthy again now, even if I'm not in top form. That's how it goes. I did catch a bad case of the flu in Oman, with a fever for eight days, and I was out for ten days."

"Thankfully, it was early in the season, and I didn't suffer any after-effects. So I could train again and kick off my season at Strade Bianche. After that, I planned to go home, but because of my illness, I'm going to Spain to prepare for Coppi e Bartali. I must expand my endurance to get back in shape quickly because I am far from my normal level. Ten days of training for Strade Bianche was not much, but I am improving quickly. I miss that explosive power; it goes better when it is hard for an extended period and everyone is tired."

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Jørgen Nordhagen

Nordhagen said goodbye to skiing with a heavy heart

Nordhagen transferred from the Norwegian Team NTG/Uno-X at club level in 2024 and rode for the Visma | Lease a Bike development team. Before he won a stage in the Tour Alsace, triumphed in the Trofeo Bonin Costruzioni and Coppa Città di San Daniele and added a stage and overall win to his tally in the Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia, he put on his skis one last time in the winter of 2023/2024. He finished strong by becoming the junior world champion in the 20-kilometer mass start.

After his last ski winter, he replaced his skis with a bicycle, so it was a bit of a blow when he wasn't on the slopes this winter. "I've been skiing maybe five or ten times, just training at home with friends. It was different, but I am still in the world of skiing. I am following the World Championships in Norway closely, and at times like that, you think, I wish I could have been there. Again, you feel how big skiing is in Norway, but I am happy with my choices. But I would still be skiing if I hadn't had this road cycling opportunity."

Nordhagen found the transition from skiing to cycling harder than the transition from the U23 team in 2024 to the WorldTour team in 2025. And then, on Saturday, he also debuted in Strade Bianche... "Fortunately, we don't have Wout van Aert on the team so I can do my own thing. We don't feel any pressure, so it's a good start. I can figure it all out for myself and find the right feeling. I like gravel; I'm not afraid of it. It will be more the speed in the peloton that I have to watch out for," he said beforehand.

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Nordhagen became world champion mass start in the juniors

Training with Van Aert and Vingegaard not very different for Nordhagen

As mentioned, the step from training to WorldTour felt less prominent for Nordhagen than perhaps expected. "The winter was very different because I remember that during my time in secondary school, it was more hectic, combining school and skiing. Now, we would get up at 8:30 AM every day, have a nice breakfast, and then get on our bikes. It is a less stressful life, and I like it."

"It's not like I've had to get used to it all over again," he says. "I've kept the same coach. I'm riding a different bike with other teammates; otherwise, it's the same as last year. A lot will be different in the race, with the radio, racing with those guys, and the team bus. I'm looking forward to that. Last year, we also had a good connection with the development team, but the races brought us closer."

It all seems so unpretentious that it almost scares you. It would shock many cycling talents to suddenly sit at the table with Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard. But not for Nordhagen. "It's not like anyone surprised me on the WorldTour team. They are all nice guys to be around, and there are no hierarchies or fixed seating arrangements at the table. The team has prominent personalities, but you don't notice them."

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Nordhagen only listens to Visma | Lease a Bike, not to Twitter

It might also help that in 2025, the cycling world will adjust to include teenagers already participating in the WorldTour. If you had said that ten years ago, the veterans in the peloton would have laughed in your face. So Nordhagen has no problem with the new trend of young talents being linked to a great future even before their first real cycling race. "It's about how you approach it," he shrugs.

"I don't follow everything anyway; my father and brother do that," he continues, smiling. "Twitter is an important place for cycling news, but I don't have an account there. I don't read it; I'm not interested in what's happening around me. As long as I have the right approach, that's what's important. In Norway, the media attention is not that big anyway, so other people can say what they think. If you come from Belgium, it will be different, haha!"

And what about the comparison with Vingegaard? In the interview, we can't help but get the impression that he resembles the Danish Visma star. "If people call me the new Jonas Vingegaard, they don't know Jonas' level. He's amazing. I have seen his metrics and understand how he trains so that it will be a huge step. Everything has to run smoothly, so I am taking my time. I will not say that I am the new Jonas, anyway."

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Jonas Vingegaard

Comparisons with Vingegaard do not faze Nordhagen

Still, there must have been a reason that Visma | Lease a Bike immediately put Vingegaard and Nordhagen in the same room at the first training camp in December. In a press release, the very young Norwegian said he immediately asked his Danish teammate about his first months with the team. Today, he says: "We had nice conversations. We could speak Danish instead of English, which is always nice. He is a very friendly and approachable guy from whom to learn."

"Am I a family man like him? It's hard to compare; he has a wife and two children. When I have been alone for a long time, I like to see my friends and family again," continues Nordhagen, who happily answers all questions about the Vingegaard comparison. After all, at Visma | Lease a Bike, they are not secretive about the fact that it is 'the dream' to prepare Nordhagen as a successor one day.

However, he realizes that the road ahead will be long. "It is difficult to say what I can learn from Jonas. He is also very talented, apart from the fact that we work every day to be the best we can be. From what I have seen, Jonas relies heavily on his way of training and getting in shape. I might be able to do things differently, but the most important thing is that he fully believes in the process. In that, he is different from the rest."

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Nordhagen on announcing his 2023 transfer

"Trust the process" is Nordhagen's argument

Nordhagen is given all the time in the world to figure it all out for himself. "And with the white jersey group, it's easier for the young guys to go for a result this year anyway. But if I ever finish in the top five in a bigger race, that will also be an outstanding achievement. I'm not going to focus on results. I mainly wanted to take a step forward this first winter, and if I look at my numbers, I've succeeded. I want to progress in the longer races, but I'm mainly putting that pressure on myself."

"Getting better wasn't that difficult in the past few months," he says. "Until last winter, I was always skiing, and there were weeks when I didn't ride my bike at all, and sometimes I only rode for three hours or so, from October to March. So, I missed a lot of hours on the bike, which I have now made up for. Just sitting on the bike and having your legs in the same position for so long, hour after hour. Despite my illness, I have made up all my hours, and it is now easier to get back to your level if you have completed those hours."

And for the long term - the future? Does Nordhagen have any dreams? "It is difficult to say what I can achieve regarding results. There will come a time when I reach my maximum potential, and it will be interesting to see what that is. I hope to have a few seasons in my career in which I can get the most out of myself without illness, crashes, or injuries. If you can push yourself to the limit for three years and everything goes well... I think that feeling at the start would be cool. If you've done everything possible, we'll see the result afterward."

Then, it will be full circle because we started this story by observing that Strade Bianche was his first official race as part of the WorldTour team of Visma | Lease a Bike. From here on out, it will all start. "I have only done one professional race, so we have no idea how I will react to certain races and situations. I am part of a new dynamic with new team tactics. It will be interesting to see how I perform. Of course, it would be cool to win major races in the future or play a part in them. But we'll see."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])     

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