Uno-X taps triathlon expert to gain an edge: "Even Visma | Lease a Bike has learned a lot from him"

Uno-X is gearing up for a crucial season. The Scandinavian team has several riders at a crossroads in their careers and hopes to capitalize on their potential. To maximize these riders’ development, the team has partnered with Olav Aleksandr Bu, a renowned training expert from the triathlon world. IDLProCycling.com spoke with Belgian sports director Gino Van den Oudenhove about this collaboration.

Looking through the Uno-X selection, there are once again several riders who can make an impact in the Flemish races: veteran Alexander Kristoff, of course, but also Jonas Abrahamsen, Rasmus Tiller, and Søren Wærenskjold, who have already shown strong performances in the spring classics. Last year, Abrahamsen finished second in Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tiller placed fourth in Le Samyn, and Wærenskjold cracked the top ten in Paris-Roubaix.

"Last year, we gained a lot of points with a specific strategy—riding many smaller races with Alexander. But we can’t keep doing that forever, because at some point, you just can’t race everything," explains Van den Oudenhove. "That’s why we’ve strengthened our classics squad: we’ve added Markus Hoelgaard, as well as Amund Grøndahl Jansen and Anders Skaarseth. The second tier, under Wærenskjold, Kristoff, and Abrahamsen, has gotten stronger."

"We hope to make progress and pick up some points in the classics," says the Norwegian team’s sports director. "It’s not easy, but we have to try—even in the biggest races. The E3 Saxo Classic and the Tour of Flanders are the hardest races for us, but we’ve already shown we can perform there. For the Ardennes Classics, we now have Andreas Kron, and we have very high expectations of him," says Van den Oudenhove about the new signing from Lotto-Dstny.

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Uno-X strengthens coaching staff with triathlon authority

Uno-X has also reinforced its coaching staff. “We have a new trainer now, Olav Aleksander Bu. He comes from the top level of altitude training in triathlon, so this is an exciting addition for us.” That name might sound familiar, as Bu was the same trainer who once aimed to transition his triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt—the Tokyo Olympic triathlon champion—into cycling, with the goal of competing for a Tour de France victory within a few years.

That plan never materialized, but Bu is now bringing his expertise to the Norwegian cycling team. “He has a lot of experience, and even Visma | Lease a Bike has learned a lot from him. He continues coaching his triathletes, and he’s smart enough to approach this from the right perspective—he knows that not everything can be changed overnight,” Van den Oudenhove points out. "He’s now entering the cycling world, and things work a bit differently here. We deal with racing, logistics across three different locations, and constant travel. That’s all relatively new for him. We’re analyzing everything, testing, and looking for improvements. I think we’re on the right track.”

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Squad leader sees 'good numbers' from Abrahamsen

Recently, this website featured an interview with Jonas Abrahamsen about his extreme training methods. “We actually try to keep them off the rollers as much as possible because you lose a lot of other things—like bike handling skills. But if they do it for a week, that’s fine. They’ve had training camps, and these days, they don’t spend as much time in Norway as they used to. So when Jonas talks about riding at -10°C, he’s taking it a bit out of context,” says the team director with a wink.

The fact that Abrahamsen can handle such training loads is a testament to his ability. “That’s typical for Jonas. They work incredibly hard, just like Kristoff. It’s just how they are. But you also need to have the capacity to do these kinds of training sessions—not everyone can. About 80% of our riders wouldn’t be able to handle the training load of Jonas or Alex, it’s something they’ve built up over the years.”

Now, the goal is for that hard work to pay off. “Jonas’ numbers look good at the moment—he certainly hasn’t declined. Plus, he’s getting smarter in races. Finishing second in Dwars door Vlaanderen is one thing, but the Tour of Flanders is another level entirely. If we race smart and don’t focus too much on the Van der Poels and Pogacars of the world, while also keeping in mind that we need to pick up points, we can still go far.”

Van den Oudenhove repeatedly emphasizes the importance of racing smart, something Abrahamsen, known for his aggressive riding style, is not always associated with. “Sometimes it helps to coach Abrahamsen, and sometimes it doesn’t. I remember Paris-Tours—I didn’t want them to join the breakaway, but he insisted. So I told him: ‘Go ahead, but I won’t be coming up to the front.’ In the end, he got caught two kilometers from the finish, and I thought, ‘If he actually wins here…’ But sometimes you have to let them do that sometimes. Now, I don’t think the peloton will just let him ride away so easily anymore.”

Finally, what does Van den Oudenhove expect from that other Norwegian talent, Søren Wærenskjold? “Søren had a really strong winter—much better than last year. We know the kind of talent he has. He finished ninth in Paris-Roubaix, which shows his potential. This winter was key for him, and we’re taking things slow. That’s why he won’t be racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, only Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. This way, we can gradually build him up.”

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