Dubai: UAE Team Emirates’ latest acquisition Alexander Kristoff is hoping a change in team will revive his winning streak as he zeroes down on the Classics.
The Norwegian cyclist parted ways with Katusha-Alpecin after six years and joined UAE Team Emirates for the next two seasons, starting with next month’s Dubai Tour. The former Milan-San Remo winner struggled through much of 2017, failing to win even a single stage at the Tour de France. However, the 30-year-old cyclist from Norway hit back immediately by winning the RideLondon Surrey Classic in August, after which he announced his switch to the UAE.
“I can see exciting times ahead of me with my new team,” Kristoff told Gulf News from his training base in Sicily.
“After spending so many years with the team [Katusha-Alpecin] it is definitely good to look forward to a change. There are new people to deal with. The equipment is different and hopefully my mind is fresher to take on new challenges for myself on behalf of the new team,” he added.
The UAE Team Emirates made their debut in Abu Dhabi last year in January. Their first success came by the end of January last year with Portugal’s Rui Costa winning the queen stage of the Vuelta de San Juan on the Alto Colorado.
Kristoff was confirmed in the UAE Team Emirates on a two-year deal starting this year along with fellow Norwegian Sven Erik Bystrom.
In more than a decade of being a professional cyclist Kristoff was crowned Norwegian National Road Race Champion [in 2007 and 2011]. However, his biggest triumphs came at the 2014 Milan-San Remo followed by the Tour of Flanders the following year. Kristoff started off the 2017 season well while winning three stages of the Tour of Oman. Further success followed during the season with Kristoff winning the UEC European Road Championship held in Denmark. He then went on to finish runner-up to Slovakia’s Peter Sagan at the UCI Road World Championships held in Bergen, Norway.
However, with a growing uneasiness with his team management Kristoff also seemed to display a lack of killer instinct at important races, especially at the Classics and in the sprints. His struggles with Katusha continued with the management accusing him of being “too heavy,” forcing the Norwegian to look out for a fresh challenge with a new team.
“Despite all that 2017 was a good season,” he mulled.
“I think I managed to get a momentum going last year. The target now will be to sustain this and fight for podium finishes especially in the Classics,” he vouched.
Kristoff is presently training at the UAE Team Emirates’ base in Siracusa, Sicily. Led by general manager Giuseppe Saronni, a former two-time Giro d’Italia champion, the UAE Team Emirates is scheduled to assemble here on February 2 in time for the Dubai Tour that is scheduled to get under way from February 6-10.
“I feel blessed that I will get to start off at the Dubai Tour. After that I have [Tour of] Oman and Abu Dhabi Tour. The focus will be to get myself into top form before the start of the big ones like the Tour de France and the other Classics. An early start to the season has helped other riders in the past, and I too am hoping that Dubai will be the right take-off point for me as well,” Kristoff added.
