"I'm just trying to maintain the same level" - Alexander Kristoff voices lack of progress at the brink of his career
Cycling
97 professional victories shine next to the name of Alexander Kristoff. For a while there has been a certain degree of uncertainty about whether the 37-year-old Norwegian would truly hanf up his bicycle at the end of this season, but the Uno-X Mobility leader already seems to be decided - regardless of whether he reaches the magical 100th victory, or not.
"I'm done. I have no offer or contract next year," Kristoff tells Dagbladet. "Then it must have been a very good offer. I feel pretty done. I'm starting to get fed up, and it's not getting any better either. It was more motivating when I was younger, and then I got a little bit better. Now I'm just trying to maintain the same level as last year, and that's how it's been for a few years. There's no development," he explains.
"It's not as rewarding. Now I've been in the same industry since I was nine. It's nice to do something new. I think that applies to most jobs. I think about it when I'm out cycling: 'Yes, yes, I'm here again.' You only have one life, and I want to do other things in life."
"I think it will go quite well," he says about giving farewell to peloton. "It will be a relief not to have to worry about weather, wind, overturns and crashes. I'm looking forward to having fewer worries," Kristoff answers.
Will there be anything he'll miss from the life of professional cyclist? "It can be a bit sad not to be part of a team and the group of guys you go on races and training with after your career. But I always have the opportunity to join in on some training in the future too, as long as I keep up a little bit of my level."
Kristoff will thus have more time to get involved with his family - wife and four sons. "The kids are starting to grow up. They need follow-up at home. There are quite a few logistics that don't always work out. I can feel that," he admits.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
- And the place he calls home is in Slovenia with his parents.RidesHills04-11-2026
- I think Tadej will be working on his new C7 TT position for the Tour de France :-)frieders304-11-2026
- Every great cyclist has at least two Giro/Tour doubles, and in modern cycling or what we call modern cycling, Miguel Indurain is the only guy to do it twice. I think Tadej should go for it and commit if he is putting up good numbers somewhere around January/February.awp04-11-2026
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