Making the step up from developmental team to World Tour level with Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2024, Per Strand Hagenes is quietly confident of a quick adaption and having an impressive first year at senior level.
"I have learnt and experienced a lot in the Development Team over the past two seasons," Hagenes says in conversation with his team's official website. "The training camps, the challenging race programme and the mental lessons have made me the rider I am today."
Having already had a taste of riding with the senior team in 2023, Hagenes took victory ahead of the likes of Kaden Groves and Mads Pedersen at Sparkassen Münsterland Giro. "We worked well together last season. I have learnt a lot from racing with the pros and achieved good results. If someone had predicted this before the start of the season, I would have signed up in a heartbeat," he analyses.
"Partly because I got a taste of racing at the highest level last year, I expect the step up to be smooth", Hagenes continues. "I felt very much at home among the experienced riders. Of course, not everything went perfectly. I had setbacks like injuries and illness. As a result, I was not able to finish the season as I had planned, but I am still happy with last year."
Looking back on his time in the developmental team, Hagenes can recall some fond memories. "I joined the Jumbo-Visma U23 team in 2022. I have worked hard over the last two seasons," he recalls. "And now, I am going to join the WorldTour team. It feels like a dream come true."
"I will always treasure my time with the U23s," the Norwegian concludes. "It was a nice group with a lot of guys of the same age and generation. We learnt a lot from each other and from the coaching staff. We had a lot of fun together. With Johannes Staune-Mittet and Loe van Belle, I feel ready to take the step to the pros."
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