Fresh faces, new ambitions
August 10 th 2026 - 11:00 [GMT + 2]
- The 2026 Arctic Race of Norway provisional start list features 108 riders, including 66 newcomers and just one former stage winner. Fresh faces are set to rewrite the record books of the world’s northernmost cycling race.
- Guillermo Thomas Silva, Felix Engelhardt, Lennert Van Eetvelt and Alessandro Pinarello headline the list of favourites and dark horses. Norway can count on the experience of Odd Christian Eiking, the punch of Martin Tjotta and the fearless ambition of Johannes Kulset.
- Ethan Vernon starts as the leading favourite among the sprinters, but he will face stiff competition from the likes of Casper Van Uden and Giovanni Lonardi. A new generation is also making its mark, with riders such as Scandinavians Erlend Blikra and Henrik Pedersen Erlend Blikra and Henrik Pedersen.
A 13TH DIFFERENT WINNER TO BE CROWNED
Three countries have joined the Arctic Race of Norway record books in the past three editions: the United Kingdom through Stephen Williams (2023), Denmark with Magnus Cort (2024), and New Zealand thanks to Corbin Strong (2025). Who will be next in 2026? "Uruguay," Guillermo Thomas Silva would answer. The XDS Astana leader has gone from strength to strength since joining the team, as shown by his victories: first at the Tour of Hainan, then at the Giro d'Italia where he wore the leader's jersey, before adding the Clásica de Ordizia and Clásica Castilla y León to his tally. "France," might instead say Joris Delbove (TotalEnergies), winner of the 2025 Tour de Langkawi, newly crowned French cyclo-cross champion and third in this year's National Road Race Championships.
Belgium has already celebrated overall victories with Dylan Teuns (2017) and Ben Hermans (2021), so Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Intermarché) will be looking to make it three. Winner of both the UAE Tour and the Tour of Guangxi in 2024, he was 16th in the last Tour de France before a crash hampered him. He shared the roads with Felix Engelhardt (Jayco AlUla), another serious contender for the 2026 title, who will be keen to showcase his German national champion's jersey in Norway. His Danish teammate Anders Foldager also gives the Australian squad another good option after recently adding the Brabantse Pijl to his growing palmarès.
NORWAY HAS PLENTY OF HOME HOPES
Italy has yet to produce an Arctic Race of Norway winner, but Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) has the credentials to change that. The 23-year-old climber arrives full of confidence after winning a stage of O Gran Camiño, having earlier finished 10th in Tirreno-Adriatico. He is not the only Italian to watch. Fellow 2003-born rider Ludovico Crescioli (Polti VisitMalta) showcased his talent by winning the Giro dell'Appennino before making his Giro debut. Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility) also raced the Italian race, where he finished 4th in the best young rider classification after earning the same result at the Tour of the Basque Country a month earlier. He carries many of Norway's hopes on home roads, joined by compatriot and teammate Martin Tjotta, who finished 7th overall here in 2025.
The only former stage winner on this year's start list, Odd Christian Eiking (Unibet Rose Rockets), finished runner-up overall behind Hermans in 2021. The 31-year-old Norwegian claimed a stage victory atop Storheia in 2019, where Stage 3 will finish this year, but he has not won since. His experience could prove invaluable, whether for himself or in support of teammate Wout Poels. The Dutchman has one of the most impressive palmarès in the field, including Liège-Bastogne-Liège and stage victories in both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España. He is looking to return to winning ways after his last success at the 2025 Tour of Türkiye. Like Poels, Swiss rider Fabio Christen (Pinarello-Q36.5) hasn't won since last year (Tour of Murcia, a stage of the Tour of Slovenia) and wants to start fresh.
VERNON, THE SPRINTER TO BEAT
The succession of Corbin Strong is not only about the overall title, but also the points classification chased by the sprinters. His teammate Ethan Vernon (NSN) is a leading contender for the blue jersey. Having recently claimed stage victories at the Tour Down Under, Volta a Catalunya and Région Pays de la Loire Tour, the Briton hopes to make Norway the 9th country in which he has celebrated a professional victory. Facing him, Giovanni Lonardi (Polti VisitMalta) arrives from the Tour of Denmark after narrowly missing his first win of the season with two 4th-place finishes, and having also come close at the Giro (2nd place in Rome). Casper Van Uden will also make his Arctic Race debut, but unlike Lonardi he already owns a Grand Tour stage victory after triumphing at the 2025 Giro. The Dutch sprinter will spearhead Picnic PostNL's ambitions as he looks to secure his second victory of the year, following a victory at the Tour of Türkiye.
THE NEXT GENERATION STEPS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X Mobility) embodies Norway's emerging talent. Winner of La Roue Tourangelle in 2025, already the author of five podium finishes in 2026 (including victory at the Tour of Oman), he hopes to become the 9th Norwegian stage winner in race history, seven years after making his race debut in 2019. It will instead be the first participation of his Danish teammate Henrik Pedersen, one of the youngest riders in the peloton at just 21 years of age. The 2023 European Under-23 road champion continues his rise after recently finishing third overall, and winning the young rider classification, in his home Tour of Denmark.
Pedersen is not the only rider born in 2004 symbolising the renewal of the peloton. Luxembourg's national runner-up Mathieu Kockelmann (Lotto Intermarché) claimed victory at the 2026 Étoile de Bessèges, while Ronan Augé (Unibet Rose Rockets) recently secured his maiden professional win at La Route d'Occitanie. Augé is among France's strongest hopes alongside the more experienced Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies), one of the 42 riders lining up for the second time (or more) at the Arctic Race of Norway.