"For now it only seems better to me to focus on stage victories" - Andreas Leknessund chases success at Giro debut

Andreas Leknessund is one of the most interesting riders in the peloton, a rouleur by excellence who could target hilly stages and breakaways. That's likely to be his priority at the Giro d'Italia, as he looks to discover his exact qualities and consistency as part of a long-term plan.

"Last season we set ourselves the goal of making my program heavier, with almost exclusively WorldTour races and the Tour. Thanks to two good altitude training camps, I was able to reach the level I had," Leknessund told Wielerflits. For me, that was the sign that I'm moving in the right direction. At this point in my career, the Giro that is coming up is a really great race for me. So far, everything is going according to the plan we drew up in 2020.”

Leknessund, 23, talks of how DSM have already planned out his years with the team since before signing in the winter of 2020 and he's been gradually evolving and aiming higher. Although riders of his generation are taking over and dominating many of the sport's races, the Norwegian is slowly evolving into a big figure in the peloton. Last year he took a big step, winning a stage at the Tour de Suisse, and then following that up with a stage win and GC at his home race the Arctic Race of Norway.

“This season I mainly want to try to make my basic condition from my top level. By that I mean that in a whole year I want to reach the level that I showed last year in the Tour de Suisse, the Tour and the Arctic Race," he continues. "If everything goes according to plan again, I expect to have achieved stable results by the end of the year. I also have more responsibility this year. That is also something I have to be ready for throughout the season.”

"Last season we also tried to ride a [overall] classification a number of times. There I found out that it also suits me well if I can race more freely, without having to pay attention to my classification. At the same time, those opportunities gave me the confidence that I can actually compete with the best riders on my best days. Although that does not alter the fact that I will go for it if I am short in the standings.”

Leknessund is capable of riding well in the mountains but he is more of a rouleur. A rider who has a very strong consistent power and time-trialing capabilities, but one who is best suited to the hilly days where he frequently attacks alone in similar fashion of that of the likes of Thomas de Gendt and Rémi Cavagna.

“The Tour was super cool last year, I really enjoyed it. But the Giro may suit me as a rider this year even better. I'm really looking forward to it. I have a freer role here than I would have in the Tour with Romain Bardet, which is also very valuable." Whilst DSM will be looking out for Alberto Dainese in the flat stages, Leknessund and Harm Vanhoucke will have green card to chase their own objectives on the tougher days.

"For now it only seems better to me to focus on stage victories. I achieved success with that last year and it does not make sense to me to go for a classification in the Giro now. I don't think that's a realistic goal. That is why I can muster more motivation to go for daily success, that is something achievable," he concluded.