18 teams head to the land of the midnight sun

June 18 ^th 2024 - 09:59 [GMT + 2]

Nine Tour de France teams are on the start list for the eleventh edition of the Arctic Race of Norway, scheduled for 4–7 August. 
The 108 riders on the start line will fight to add their names to the annals of a race that counts among its winners riders of the calibre of Thor Hushovd, Steven Kruijswijk, Dylan Teuns, Alexey Lutsenko, Andreas Leknessund and the reigning champion, Stephen Williams, who proved that his earlier successes were no fluke by claiming the 2024 La Flèche Wallonne.
Four teams are slated to make their debut: Lotto Dstny, Tudor, VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè and TDT–Unibet will make their first foray into a race packed with sporting challenges and the breathtaking panoramas of northern Norway.

This eleventh edition will set off to discover the Nordland region, above the Arctic Circle. From 4 to 7 August, the riders in the peloton will have to show their resilience in the face of the wind, which is very strong in this region. The entire route will be centred around Bodø, European Capital of Culture 2024. The 18-team peloton will include 9 of the teams that took part in the Tour de France in July.  

The first-timers —Lotto Dstny, Tudor, VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè and TDT–Unibet— will be eager to prove their mettle against event regulars such as Cofidis, Astana and dsm-firmenich Post NL.  

Many rising stars in the international peloton have shown their first flashes of talent in the northernmost race in the world. The reigning champion, Stephen Williams (2024 La Flèche Wallonne winner), is the latest example, joining the ranks of Mathieu van der Poel, a three-time stage winner here (2018 and 2019), and Alexey Lutsenko, who emerged victorious from the 2019 Arctic Race of Norway. One thing is for sure: the champions of today will again share the limelight with the heroes of tomorrow on the roads of Norway