"It's more likely that it will be the last season" - Time running out for Alexander Kristoff to take landmark 100th pro win
Cycling
Nearing two decades in the professional peloton, Alexander Kristoff has had an illustrious career including four Tour de France stage wins, a pair of monument victories and much more. Now aged 37 though, the Norwegian is well aware that he doesn't have too long left.
"I can't say for sure yet, but it's more likely that it will be the last season. I'll have to have a very good season if I'm going to consider another year," admits the Uno-X Mobility star in quotes collected by TV2.no. "I'm turning 38, and I have four children. It's enough to get used to being at home. Everyone plays football, and the two oldest are at a certain level, so they'll be going to a lot of matches. It's nice for parents to be able to follow up on their children."
Starting 2025 with 96 professional victories on his palmares, Kristoff's likely final season is marked with one notable target. "For me, the big goal is to win 100 professional races," he says ambitiously. “It’s kind of out there as something achievable. Of course, you can set goals to win Tour de France stages and the Tour of Flanders, but I don't feel like I'm the favourite or that it's likely that I'll beat Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel in Flanders. But 100 victories is within reach. I had eight last year; this year I need four."
If this is his final season though, don't expect Kristoff to emulate team boss Thor Hushovd and move into a staff role in the peloton. "I feel like I want to do something else. It's possible that I'll miss it and want to go back, of course, but it's not tempting to become a sports director and travel as much next year. It's not. It's rider or nothing for now," he concludes. "I can try my hand at being a builder and renovating something, but after seeing my grouting skills last week, I don't know if that's quite the thing. My wife wasn't impressed and had to do it herself. And it turned out much better!"
Anybody else having trouble posting comments? This site is not working at my end for some reason? Some posts I've put in have been deleted?
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