"I can win a stage of the Tour and also a Monument" - Jonas Abrahamsen optimistic about future after breakthrough Tour de France in 2024

Jonas Abrahamsen was one of the stars of the 2024 Tour de France. In a breakthrough performance, the 29-year-old Norwegian wore both the polka-dot jersey as King of the Mountains and green jersey and Points Classification leader in the opening week.

With his season now over, Abrahamsen reflected on his breakthrough performances this year and cast an optimistic eye towards his future in a piece for Rouleur. "Until this summer, most cycling fans outside of Norway had never heard of me," admits the Brussels Cycling Classic winner. "But then I went on to have an incredible Tour de France with 10 days in the polka-dot jersey, three days in green, second on stage two, and five days in the break. It was something that I didn’t believe was possible before the start, but it’s now given me the confidence that I can win a stage of the Tour and also a Monument like Flanders or Roubaix."

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As he notes however, things haven't always been this positive for Abrahamsen. "From when I was a teenager, I was always very skinny – too skinny, to be honest – and I didn’t achieve my full potential. All of my role models were super light and I thought I had to be around 58-59kg if I was to have an FTP of 360 watts and push six watts per kilo up a hill. That was the weight I aimed for, but I didn’t eat enough and because of that I couldn’t build my FTP and power, my body wasn’t working as well and I suffered from delayed puberty," he explains. "I realised I had to do something to be a better rider, and in 2019 at the age of 23, I came to the understanding with the team’s nutritionist James Moran that my body was built for having muscles."

This proved a stroke of brilliance, changing the projection of Abrahamsen's career entirely. "I started the process of adding 20kg of weight. It was hard, but immediately my body thanked me for it as 80kg is, I think, my natural weight: I grew seven centimetres; it was the time I started dating girls and my testosterone levels increased; I felt much stronger and less tired; and I was no longer stressed about how much I was eating, and found that I had more energy to spend with people," he reveals. "It’s very important to know your body and its capacities. Some people are meant to be very skinny, but others, like me, are not. I’d tell all teenagers it’s better to eat more and work on your power, and worry about losing weight when you’re at a professional level and there’s experts to help you. At that age, you can’t only think about cycling. I look in the mirror now after my issues and I am very happy with what I see, and my body is much happier too. My weight is very stable, I recover better – when I was skinny I was inconsistent – and my performances are definitely better."

Thanks in part to his star performances at the 2024 Tour de France, Abrahamsen has now secured his long term future in the sport by re-signing with Uno-X Mobility until the end of 2028. "I believe it's the best place for me to develop and to win a stage of the Tour," he concludes. "It’s been a long process in the past five years, but now I’ve got the right body shape, my positioning and understanding of tactics in the peloton is much better, and I feel like my development is improving year-on-year. I’m confident about the future, but I know I’ll never again have a crazy 10 days like I had this summer."

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