“The biggest race these guys can ride" — Sports director Stian Remme shares his thoughts ahead of the start.

For decades, Tour de l’Avenir has been known as the Tour de France for U23 riders. Outside of the World Championships, it’s the most important stage for the world’s top young talent. First held in 1961, the race has helped shape today’s superstars like Tadej Pogačar, Egan Bernal, and Isaac Del Toro, alongside Norway’s own Tobias Foss and Tobias Halland Johannesen.

Norway has a rich history here, boasting both stage wins and overall victories. From August 20–26, Team Drali – Repsol will be lining up for the second year in a row. Organized in partnership with the Norwegian Cycling Federation, our riders will swap their usual Drali – Repsol colors for the national team jersey.

“Preparations have gone really well, and the guys are ready to go. Two of them are coming straight off the Arctic Race of Norway, while the other four have put in a solid block of work over the summer ahead of the autumn season,” says sports director Stian Remme.

New Race Dynamics, World-Class Field

This year brings a new dynamic to the peloton. The race has shifted from an all-national-team format to a mix of WorldTour development teams and selected national squads. Regardless of the setup, the level of competition is top-tier.

“The best riders here are operating at an extremely high level—some already at the pro standard—so it’s going to be tough. At the same time, this is the biggest race these guys can ride at this stage. If you perform here, people notice. Every pro team has their eyes on Tour de l’Avenir, and anyone fighting at the front will get on their radar,” Remme adds.

Hunting Stage Wins from the Breakaway

The race kicks off with four relatively flat stages in Normandy before heading into the demanding climbs of the Alps and finishing in the Piedmont region of Italy.

The squad enters with clear roles and targets for the various terrains:

• Georg Rydningen Martinsen: Strong climber aiming for the mountains.

• Jørgen Sekse: Strong climber targeting a top-20 overall finish alongside Georg.

• Ulrik Bjune: Versatile engine with a fast finish—one of our two options for the sprints.

• Sebastian Veslum: Versatile engine with a fast finish, sharing sprint duties with Ulrik.

• Håkon Eiksund Øksnes: Dangerous breakaway thread and a strong card for the time trial.

• Karl Emil Kjeldsand: Aggressive rider suited for the punchy middle stages.

“Ulrik and Sebastian are our options for the sprints on the early stages, and if everything clicks, a top-10 finish is well within reach. In the mountains, Georg and Jørgen have strong ambitions, with a top 20 in the general classification being a realistic goal,” Remme explains.

However, the main objective is getting into the right moves once the course opens up:

“Our main goal is a stage victory. We know breakaways will make it on certain stages, and we need to be right there fighting for the win. Those are going to be key days for us. We want to race well as a team, show ourselves, and ride aggressively. Our job is to carry on Norway’s strong traditions in this race, which gives us great motivation. We’re ready to give it everything over the next week and can’t wait to get started.”

Note: The race will be streamed daily on HBO Max from August 20 to 26.

For eight days, some of the best U23 riders in the world will race across Southern Italy. WorldTour development teams, future Grand Tour riders and future Classics winners…and us.

A small Norwegian team from the west coast of Norway, arriving with the same ambitions as everyone else: To race aggressively, to make an impact and to prove that we belong here because that’s what this team has always been about.

Not waiting for opportunities, we want to be creating them.

Every rider on this team dreams about taking the next step, and races like the Giro Next Gen are where those dreams become a little more real.

One of the Biggest Opportunities of the Year

The Giro Next Gen starts in Reggio Calabria on June 14 and finishes with an individual time trial into L’Aquila on June 21.

Between those two points lie eight stages and nearly 15,000 metres of climbing. The route is demanding, the field is stacked and the margins are small, which is exactly why we’re excited to be there. For a Continental team like ours, races such as the Giro Next Gen represent one of the best opportunities to measure ourselves against the highest level of U23 cycling. It’s where riders can show themselves and it’s where dreams of turning professional suddenly feel a little closer.

“The Giro Next Gen is one of the best opportunities we have to show what we’re made of,” says Sebastian Veslum.

“Everyone on this team wants to become a professional cyclist. That gives you extra motivation in both training and racing.”

Sebastian Veslum.

Respect Everyone. Fear No One.

The start list features some of the biggest names in development cycling – teams backed by some of the sport’s biggest World Tour teams. Teams with resources most Continental teams can only dream of, but that doesn’t change our approach.

“We have to take our place in the bunch,” says Sebastian.

“We need to show that we belong there and not be intimidated because Red Bull, INEOS or Visma are written on somebody else’s jersey. We have to use the experience we’ve gained from previous races and always keep believing.”

The Plan

Every race starts with a plan and ours is clear. On the sprint stages, we’ll be working for Tobias and in the mountains, Jørgen will be our main guy. And in between? A lot of opportunities.

The Giro Next Gen route includes several stages that don’t fit neatly into the categories of sprint or mountain stage. The kind of terrain where aggressive racing can be rewarded, and where our riders are given the freedom to trust their instincts.

“Those are the stages I’m looking forward to the most,” says Sebastian.

And if you’ve watched enough racing in Italy, you’ll know that the crowds have a special appreciation for riders willing to attack.

Maybe the Italians Will Adopt Us

There is another reason we’re excited to race in Italy. Our title sponsor, Drali, has deep Italian roots, and after revealing our brand new white bikes for the Baby Giro recently, we’re hoping they might feel just a little bit at home on Italian roads.

“I also hope we get a bit of extra support from the Italian crowds with Drali as the main sponsor and our new stunning bikes,” Sebastian says with a smile.

Together with our other Italian-connected brands such as Scicon Sports, Santini, Selle Italia, FSA, Vision and ABUS we do feel a bit Italian this Giro.

Finally, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the organizers for believing in our project and giving us this chance at the Giro Next Gen, as well as all our sponsors for creating opportunities like this for us.

Drali Iridio, our Giro Special Edition Bike

It begins quietly.

Riders moving slowly through breakfast. Coffee cups on the table. Someone checking tyre pressure in the parking lot. A mechanic wiping a chain that already looks perfectly clean.

On the surface, it can almost feel calm.

Because long before the neutral flag drops, the race is already being shaped by conversations, decisions and small tactical details that most people watching from the outside will never see.

For our sports director at the Tour of Rhodes, Steven Sergeant, it starts with something simple.

Understanding where each rider stands.

Steven Sergeant, Sports Director Team Drali – Repsol.

Building the Plan

“Being my first race with the them, I need to get to know the guys a bit better, and quickly,” the Belgian says.

Before the race, he sits down with each rider individually.

“How do you feel? Where are you right now? What do you think you can do in this race?”

Those conversations are where the plan begins to take shape.

“It’s about connecting the big picture and the small picture,” he explains. “Who can do what. On which stage. At which moment.”

Cycling tactics rarely come down to one decision.

They are a chain of decisions.

A rider who attacks at the right time.
A teammate who closes a gap.
Someone sacrificing their own chances so another rider can stay fresh.

Every role needs to fit together

Why the Small Details Matter

Sometimes the smallest detail can influence an entire race.

In the Tour of Rhodes, it starts with the prologue.

“If we have a rider who can do a really strong prologue, that suddenly becomes extremely important,” he says.

Because the result there determines something most fans probably rarely think about.

The team car’s position in the convoy.

“That affects how quickly we can reach our riders if something happens,” he explains.

And on the first road stage, that can make a big difference.

“Stage one here is very technical. Narrow roads, tricky sections. If a crash or mechanical happens and you’re far back in the convoy, it can take a long time to reach your rider.”

And if that rider happens to be your GC contender?

“The race could be over before it even really started.”

Why the Plan Starts With Conversations

“I don’t want to walk into the team meeting and say: this is the plan, take it or leave it.”

Instead, the conversations happen earlier.

“I talk to the riders individually first. I explain the idea, listen to their feedback, and then we adjust.”

Most of the times that means small tweaks, and rarely any major changes.

“Then we decide whether we go left or right.”

By the time the team meeting happens, everyone already understands the plan.

“And that makes everything easier.”

When the Race Starts

For this race, there is another challenge that most pro teams never have.

No radios.

Once the riders roll out, the sports directors can’t give instructions.

“When the race starts, it’s up to them,” he says.

“My job, and the staff’s job, is to make sure everything around them works perfectly on beforehand.”

The riders should only have three things to focus on.

“Eat. Sleep. Ride the bike.”

Everything else is handled by the staff.

But once the race begins, responsibility shifts.

“They need to know the plan and how to execute it.”

And if things go wrong?

“Well,” he says with a small smile, “then the guys has to work even harder to fix it.”

Sometimes that means chasing.
Sometimes it means burning valuable energy.

“So the question is simple,” Steven says.

“Why mess it up when you can just do it right the first time?”

Honesty Inside the Team

At the heart of every strategy is something more human.

Honesty.

“If one rider tells me he’s at 90 percent today, and another says he feels incredible and thinks he can win the race, then we support the guy who feels 100 percent.”

That decision isn’t always easy.

It takes character to admit you’re not at your best.

And it takes courage to take responsibility.

“Putting your hand up and saying ‘give me the job’ takes balls to do”.

But that’s where strong teams are built.

“It comes from open communication and trust. The atmosphere inside the group matters a lot.”

Believing in the Dream

Sometimes belief appears immediately.

Before a race, he often asks a simple question.

“What are we going to do here?”

Most riders answer carefully.

But sometimes someone looks him straight in the eye and says:

“I’m going to win.”

He smiles.

“That’s music to my ears.”

Because belief can be contagious.

“My job is to fire them up,” he says. “If they believe in a dream, we’re here to support it and make them believe it can happen.”

And when that happens, something special can follow.

“That’s when you get magic.”

“That’s when you can move mountains.”

Just Before the Start

Outside, the parking lot is starting to fill with race cars and riders warming up.

The quiet morning atmosphere is slowly turning into race-day noise.

There is still work to do.

Bottles and food to prepare.
Last instructions before the riders roll to the start line.

“I’m amped for this race,” Steven says.

“I really enjoy working with this group. The riders, the staff, everyone.”

He pauses for a moment.

“Of course we want to come back to Norway with good results.”

“And honestly, I believe we can.”

From the TV-show, Ted Lasso.

There’s a quiet energy in the air.

It’s training camp time.

To understand what a day at camp actually looks like, we asked one of our riders, Karl Emil Kjeldsand, to walk us through it. Not just the riding, but the small decisions around fueling, recovery and preparation that make the bigger picture work.

Here’s how he approaches a day at camp.

A Day on Camp: Karl Emil’s Perspective 💭

Hi everyone, Karl Emil here 👋

A typical day at training camp starts around 07:50, just before breakfast at 08:00. I like having a few quiet minutes before heading down.

I don’t weigh my food, but I’m very conscious of what I eat and why. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, especially before a long session.

The focus is carbohydrates and low fat. Fat has its place, especially unsaturated fats, but before training I want carbohydrates to be easily available.

What I eat depends on both yesterday’s session and the one ahead. Most camp days include longer rides with efforts, so I prioritise easily digestible carbs, typically bread or baguette with jam. I aim for around 20 grams of protein, often from ham or eggs.

Juice is an easy way to top up carbohydrates, and I usually have a few glasses. And of course, coffee. Partly because it tastes good, partly because caffeine helps for training.

Our Sports Nutrition Partner: 6D Sports Nutrition.

Fueling the Session

During training, I usually aim for around 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour.

If the session includes a lot of intervals, that can increase to 140 to 150 grams. It might sound like a lot, but for me it makes a big difference. The quality stays high and recovery is faster afterwards.

Most of it comes from gels, chews and high carbohydrate sports drinks from 6D Sports Nutrition. During harder efforts, I prefer drinks that allow steady intake without overthinking it.

On longer rides, I’ll also eat something more solid. Sometimes it’s performance fuel from 6D, sometimes it’s something simple like candy. It’s not just about physiology. It’s what you tolerate and what keeps you consistent for five-six-seven hours.

Recovery Starts Immediately

The first thing I do after training is have the 6D Recovery Shake with around 20 grams of protein and 60 grams of carbohydrates. Getting it in quickly helps speed up recovery and prepares the body for the next day.

After showering, it’s straight to lunch.

Lunch is typically high in carbohydrates, pasta or rice depending on the day, combined with lean protein. The goal is simple. Refill glycogen stores and support muscle repair. I usually aim for 40 to 50 grams of protein, and a total of 230-250g of carbs.

The Rest of the Day

Between lunch and dinner, I’ll snack a little. Nuts, fruit, sometimes something sweet. I’m not overly strict, but I’m aware of balance.

Dinner follows a similar structure. Carbohydrates as the base, again, around 40 to 50 grams of protein, and vegetables on the side. And yes, I usually visit the dessert table as well. Training camp is demanding, and intake needs to match output, so normally the total carbohydrates intake is around 300g.

Hydration is constant throughout the day. I try to stay ahead of it rather than reacting to thirst.

I also try to finish eating after dinner, especially if it’s after 19:00, to protect sleep quality. Sleep is probably the most underrated recovery tool we have. If that’s not working, nothing else really does.

Why This Works

There’s no magic diet.

It’s about structure, consistency and matching intake to workload.

Training camp is where we reinforce those habits so that when race season starts, fueling isn’t something you think about.

It’s automatic.

Now it’s time to race – see you on the road!

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We’re Small, and That’s Our Strength

We don’t have departments for every detail.
We don’t have layers of specialists analysing every movement.

But we have closeness.

Everyone is present. Everyone is involved. Everyone carries a little more responsibility.

Maybe that’s why these weeks feel so important.

Because when race season starts, we’re not just riders in matching kits.

We’re a group that has already suffered together.
Already laughed together.
Already adjusted the saddle height three times during the first 30 minutes of a ride until it juuust feels right.

That foundation doesn’t show up on a results sheet.

But it shows up when it counts.

By the End of the Week

By the final day, the socks aren’t white anymore.

The bikes aren’t showroom perfect.

Everyone is a little more tired. A little more sunburned. A little more honest.

But we’re closer.

And when the races get chaotic and the pressure builds, I often think back to those quiet mornings at camp.

Because the podium moments later in the year, the ones we all celebrate,

They usually start here.

But then we reminded ourselves that showing everything isn’t always perfect is what makes us human.

So here we are. Hope you enjoy the read!

After getting to Fidjeland just before sunrise, the place looked almost unreal. Snow-dusted mountains, low winter light, steam rising from the valleys. One of those moments where you forget how cold your fingers are because everything just looks right. This was it. This was why we had dragged ourselves out of bed at an hour normally reserved for long-haul flights and bad decisions.

We unloaded the car in silence, that quiet focus that comes when everyone knows their role. Bike out. Wheels in. Cameras warming up. Batteries checked and double-checked. Gloves on, gloves off, gloves back on again. Everything was running according to plan.

And then, about 30 minutes into rolling the bike out for the first shots, it happened.

That unmistakable sound.

Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a soft “psssss” that somehow cuts through everything. The kind of sound that makes your stomach drop before your brain has fully caught up. Tobias looked down. The tire looked fine. Still holding shape. Denial kicked in immediately. We did have tyre sealant so that should fix it.

“Maybe it’s nothing.”

It was something.

Within seconds, the front tire was visibly losing pressure. No sharp object in sight. No dramatic blowout. Just a slow, steady reminder that nature doesn’t care about your bike launch schedule.

Now, in theory, this wasn’t a problem. We had prepared for this. Spare tubes, tire levers, a pump. A proper plan. This was supposed to be a minor inconvenience at worst.

In practice, changing a tire on the side of a frozen mountain road in December is a very different experience than doing it in your living room or even on a summer ride. Cold fingers don’t like precision tasks. Valves feel smaller. Everything takes twice as long. And all the while, the light, that beautiful, soft winter light, was slowly slipping away.

“Yep, that’s me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation”

We got the wheel off. Tube out. No obvious cut. Strange, but fine. New tube in and we thought we were ready to go.

Except the valve wasn’t long enough for our 60 mm Vision wheels.

I know exactly what you’re thinking right now. “How could they not prepare for that? That’s such an obvious thing to remember.”

And you’re right.

We should have brought tubes with longer valves. We should have brought a spare tire. Extra wheels weren’t an option yet, an extra set with the correct design simply didn’t exist at that point but still, this was one of those details that feels painfully obvious in hindsight. Lost somewhere between weather forecasts, route planning, logistics, and a hundreds other moving parts.

We’re not perfect, and probably never will be. And on that morning, that became very clear.

Because there we were, standing in the middle of the Norwegian mountains, fingers already numb from the cold, staring at a wheel we couldn’t properly inflate and with no clear solution in sight.

At this point, the mood shifted. Not panic, but that quiet, internal recalculation everyone does when the original plan starts to fall apart. How much daylight do we have left? How far can we push this? Do we call it a day?

We stood there, jackets zipped up to our chins, breath visible in the air, staring at a half-inflated tire that stubbornly refused to cooperate. The irony wasn’t lost on us: weeks of planning, logistics, route scouting, gear selection, and it all came down to a few millimetres of rubber meeting wet Norwegian gravel on a cold winter day, and one of the most normal technical issues a cyclist can have.

We tried everything.

Rubber from the inner tube? Didn’t hold air and just moved around inside the tire.
Taping the hole from the inside with duct tape? Didn’t work.

Stuffing the tire with paper, tape, and anything else that might block the hole? That gave us hope for about ten seconds, before it deflated like a balloon.

At this point we were deep into desperation mode.

Then we got in talks with a guy that listened to our story, and casually said:

“Have you tried patching the tire?”

No. No, we hadn’t.

It hadn’t even crossed our minds. Normally patches are used for inner tubes, but suddenly it was the only option left. We drove to the nearest gas station, bought the very last patch kit they had (yes, we got lucky), and started gluing the tire like our entire launch depended on it – both on the inside and outside.

It didn’t look good. Not even close.

But after 10–15 minutes of waiting for the glue to dry, we inflated the tire.

And it held.

The patch that saved the day.

We looked at each other, slightly shocked, slightly relieved. We had roughly two hours of daylight left, and somehow, against all odds, we were back in motion.

The tire held. Not perfect, but good enough. Good enough became the theme of the day.

And honestly? That changed everything.

Once we accepted that the day wouldn’t be flawless, the pressure lifted. We stopped chasing the perfect shot and started working with what we had. Short rolls instead of long descents. Careful lines. Fewer takes. More awareness. The bike still looked incredible against the winter landscape. Maybe even more so because it was real.

Earned. Slightly messy.

By the time we wrapped up, fingers numb, tyre flat again and daylight gone, we were exhausted, but weirdly satisfied. The shoot didn’t go according to plan. It rarely does. But it didn’t fail either. Our photographer and videographer did an amazing job, and the result was good. The result you saw in the end, didn’t tell this story at all

Spot the patch 👀

Because this team isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up, doing your best and adapting, even when conditions aren’t ideal, even when the plan falls apart, even when you’re standing in the Norwegian mountains in December wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea.

So yes, a puncture could have destroyed the photoshoot.

Instead, it gave us the story we’ll remember long after the launch posts disappear from your feed. It became a story about never giving up to achieve your goal.

Mission impossible, made possible.

And today’s story is one of those.

Because behind every jersey you see in the peloton and every bike that flashes by at 65 km/h… there’s a long chain of decisions, sketches, surprises, and “oh no, that blue looks nothing like it did on the screen” moments.

And almost no one sees how it really happens, especially when you’re a small team like ours.

Big Teams vs Small Teams

We have… a few determined and hard-working people

…and a lot of coffee.

In the WorldTour, kit design probably goes through layers of specialists:
color analysts, brand directors, textile engineers, maybe even someone whose entire job is to choose the exact shade of blue for the season (Okay, maybe we’re exaggerating, but you get the point)

For us?

We began with a handful of ideas – shapes, colors, placements, all the basic stuff.

We sent them to Drali and Repsol, expecting the usual:
a few comments, a couple of small tweaks, maybe a “what if you lower the sponsor logo a little?”

Instead, we got something else.

A week later, an email landed in our inbox from Repsol HQ.
Their design team had taken our sketches… and refined them.

You know that feeling when something just clicks?
That’s what it felt like when we opened the file.
We sent one message back to each other:
“Yep. This is it.”

For the bike? We Did Something Different.

To begin with we started asking our good old friend Chat GPT to create some designs to get us going. But it just didn’t feel right. Drali sent us a few sketches made in Photoshop, and we began playing around with it. After a few hours (and some crazy designs) we had four options we were happy with that felt like us. But then an idea struck us. This team isn’t about us, it’s about you, the fans.

So, we decided that the design of the bike wasn’t our decision.

It was yours.

Instead of locking ourselves in a meeting room, we did the opposite:
we opened the door and let our community take the lead. Because this team exists for and because of you. So why shouldn’t the people who cheer for us, who believe in us, ride with us, and support us, help shape the look of the bike?

We designed a few concepts, hit publish, and let the fans choose.

When the votes came in, it was clear.
You didn’t just choose a bike.
You shaped the identity we’ll race with next year.

And that means more to us than you might think.

Team Drali - Repsol paint job for our Drali Iridio bikes next season, decided by you! PS: The equipment on the Drali frame in the picture is just for illustration and won’t be the setup for 2026.

Why We’re Telling You This

Design isn’t just about colors and shapes.
It’s how we show the world who we are.
And this year, more than ever, we wanted that identity to be shaped together with the people who support us.

So when the team rolls out on the 2026 bikes and pulls on the 2026 kit for the first time, know this:

You were part of creating it.

And we couldn’t be prouder of that!

This year feels especially heavy to us.

We are saying farewell to eight riders, each of whom has been part of our team for the past two to three years, years filled with incredible highs, but also the hardest moments imaginable.

All the riders leaving were with us last year when André Drege, our captain and dear friend, lost his life during the Tour of Austria. That tragedy brought the entire team incredibly close together in grief. A bond that will stay with us forever.

Experiencing something so extreme as a team shapes your sense of unity and makes you value the time you have together even more. André’s loss brought us together, and his strength made us stronger than ever. We became a family, which is why it’s especially hard to know we won’t be spending as much time together moving forward.

Unfortunately, that’s just how elite sport works.

With our renewed focus on U23 riders next year, nurturing and giving opportunities to young, promising talent, we feel a responsibility to continue being exactly that.

A team that helps young Norwegian cyclists take the step into the professional world.

Thank You 🙏

To Anton Stensby, Kalle Petter Kvam, Magnus Sørbø, Magnus Wæhre, Johan Ravnøy, Karsten Feldmann, Eivind Fougner, and Storm Ingebrigtsen, THANK YOU!

For the moments we’ve shared, and for the bonds we’ve built.

Our connections are unique, and we will always feel like family. Friends for life.

Looking Forward 🚀

For the eagle-eyed among you, this also means that two riders will continue with us, a key piece of our project for the coming years.

We need continuity. We need riders who understand our history, our values, and who truly embody what we stand for.

It is therefore with great pleasure that we can announce, exclusively here on our Substack newsletter and in the Tour of Norway podcast, that:

Eirik Vang Aas and Halvor Utengen Sandstad will be part of Team Drali – Repsol in 2026. They are the first two riders officially announced for next season.

Meet Eirik Vang Aas ✨

Eirik took Norwegian cycling by storm last year:

4th place in the National Championships road race, as a club rider challenging the Uno-X pros.

Winner of the King of the Mountains jersey in the Tour of Norway.

Just a month into 2025 and his first season with the team, he claimed his first UCI victory. The team’s first since André passed away, celebrated in a heartfelt way we’ll never forget.

Eirik winning stage 1 of Circuit des Ardennes. Photo: Alexis Dancarelle

From day one, Eirik joined the team as a full-fledged member of our family. He embraces our history and shows it the respect it deserves. That says everything about him, and he will play a key role as we head into the next season. Even though he he won’t be U23 next season he has a massive potential and fills an important role in the team as a guidance for our young talents.

Meet Halvor Utengen Sandstad 💪

Halvor has something special about him. He possesses a champion’s mindset that was clear from his very first senior race win last year in Rhodes.

Life as an elite athlete is never straightforward, full of highs and lows, but Halvor has never stopped fighting.

Halvor winning Rhodes Criterium in his first season as an elite rider. Photo: Nassos Triantafyllou

He proved his talent again when only an unlucky chain drop in the sprint at the Tour de l’Avenir kept him from a possible victory in what is often called the “Youth Tour de France, as he sprinted to a 6th on the stage.

There’s something about Halvor that makes you think: this one could become truly great.

And that’s exactly what we want to help him achieve. We are thrilled that he will continue with Team Drali – Repsol on new adventures in 2026.

We’ll be announcing the whole team in the coming couple of weeks on our social media channels with one more rider being exclusively announced here on Substack!

If you’re new to the team — welcome!
If you’ve been following us already — thanks for sticking with us 🤝

Some of you might already know our team’s history. Some might not. So before we roll into the story, here’s a bit of who we are.

We’ve been around a while.
Our roots go all the way back to 2004, and like most cycling teams, our name has changed along the way. We’ve gone from Team Sparebanken Vest to Sparebanken Vest – Ridley, Team ØsterHus – Ridley, Team Coop – ØsterHus, then Team Coop, and most recently, Team Coop – Repsol.

The goal, though? That hasn’t changed.

We’re here to develop the next generation of Norwegian pro cyclists. And we’ve been doing just that.

In the past five years alone, 11 riders have gone from our team to WorldTour or ProTeams. In total, 16 riders since our early days. Names you might know — like Sven Erik Bystrøm, our first rider to make the leap back in 2014 after becoming U23 World Champion. Or more recently, guys like Erlend Blikra, Tord Gudmestad, Embret Svestad-Bårdseng, Fredrik Dversnes, and the latest: Storm Ingebrigtsen.

There are so many stories to tell. So many moments, so many years, and so many riders on the road to becoming pros.

And today, after months of uncertainty, we finally get to write the next chapter.

Our future is secured for the next three seasons.
But it wasn’t a straight road. Not even close.

Let’s rewind for a second.

Back to May 28, 2025.

The day before Tour of Norway, we announced something no one on our team ever wanted to say aloud. After 11 years, our title sponsor Coop wouldn’t be continuing into 2026. A partnership that had opened doors, created careers, and built a safe pathway for young Norwegian talent – gone. Just like that.

Don’t get us wrong, we are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve gotten from them and to the long-standing commitment to our team and Norwegian cycling.

But having to share the news hit like a punch to the stomach.

If we didn’t find a new title partner for next season, it wasn’t just an existential crisis. It was the end. Full stop, for a team that’s been around since 2004.

We’d already started the hunt for a new sponsor, but the odds weren’t in our favor. Pro cycling’s sponsorship ecosystem is tightening every year. Teams folding left and right, budgets shrinking, brands pulling the plug. And here we were, a continental team in Norway, trying to convince someone we were worth betting on.

But we kept believing. Because we felt that we weren’t done, and we knew Norwegian cycling needs us.

💫 Why We Exist

We don’t exist to win the Tour de France one day. That’s not the dream. We exist to fuel it. To be the place where future Tour de France riders get their first taste of a pro setup. To help young Norwegians launch into that world – step by step, race by race.

Oh, and beyond race results and developing pro cyclists? We’ve got a bigger mission: making bikes a part of life again. We don’t just race them. We want to see more people in Norway choose the bike to commute, play, and live. That’s why this team matters.

So even after the announced departure of Coop, we remained optimistic. Repsol were eager to continue. We just needed one more partner that aligned with our team to secure the full six-figure (Euro) budget.

Then something wild happened.

😮 The Breakaway No One Saw Coming

May 29. Stage 1 of the Tour of Norway.

Storm Ingebrigtsen doesn’t just win the stage. He solo wins it in pouring rain. From the breakaway. Against the odds.

It didn’t just feel poetic. It was proof. And it sent a signal across the cycling world:
We’re here. We’re developing the riders of tomorrow.

And people noticed.

But still — no deal. No contract. Just uncertainty and belief. The weeks turned into months, and we kept pushing. Meetings, pitches, breakthroughs that almost happened.

And then…

An email arrived.

Storm Ingebrigtsen winning stage 1 of Tour of Norway. Photo: Szymon Gruchalski

💌The Email That Changed Everything

“I’m the Sales Manager at Drali Milano, a historic Italian company specialised in frames and road bicycles. I am reaching out to propose a potential collaboration for the 2026 season...”

Look – we’ve had our fair share of spicy DMs and long-shot “collab” offers. Not all of them are what you’d call legit. But this one felt different. We didn’t know the name of the brand, so we googled it.

And there it was:
A 100-year-old Italian brand making handcrafted frames in the heart of Milan. A company with cycling heritage in its bones.

It still didn’t quite make sense.

Why us?
Why Norway?

So we did what you do when something doesn’t make sense but feels right.
We set up a call.

And we clicked.

🤝A bike brand from Milan Meets a Team in Stavanger

We shared our story. Our values. Our dream.
And they shared theirs. Heritage. Passion. Craftsmanship.

From that point on, everything moved fast. First meeting. Second meeting. Proposal. Negotiation.

And then – a verbal yes.

Drali Milano would become our new title sponsor. Together with Repsol. For three years.

They’d support us with bikes. They’d give us backing. They’d help us continue to do what we do best: Shape Norway’s next generation of professional cyclists.

🇮🇹🌧️ The Handshake

Stavanger, November 3, 2025.

Robert Carrera (President of Drali Milano) and Manuel Colombo (Business Developer) touched down in Stavanger to seal the deal. We toured the velodrome in Sola where our offices are, shared cycling stories, joked about Sola “sunshine capital of Norway” (it was pouring outside), and almost convinced them to try lutefisk. Over dinner, the partnership became friendship. The contract was signed. Sealed. Handshaked.

And just like that: Team Drali – Repsol was born.

We exist for another three years, and we exist stronger.

Robert Carrara (President Drali Milano) and Roy Hegreberg (General Manager Fjords Cycling)

💙 To Everyone Who Believes

Thank you.

We’re not just alive – we’re building again.

The story continues in 2026, and we’re so, so ready for it.

The 2026-kit.

Subscribe for more stories from inside the team. We’re excited to bring you along for the ride 💙