“Jonas Vingegaard doesn’t earn that much... but he’s not my dream signing” – Thor Hushovd lays out Uno-X Mobility’s bold transfer ambitions after WorldTour promotion
Cycling
Thor Hushovd has never been one for modest targets. Days after Uno-X Mobility confirmed their long-awaited WorldTour promotion, the team’s general manager is already sketching out what comes next — and the ambitions are every bit as daring as the journey that got them here.
The promotion, sealed by Sakarias Koller Loland’s breakthrough victory at the Veneto Classic, ensures Uno-X automatic entry into all of cycling’s biggest races for the next WorldTour cycle, starting in 2026. But for Hushovd, that milestone is merely “the beginning of a much harder road”.
“It was an intense and emotional Sunday,” he told Dagbladet. “Now the real work starts — we’re already preparing for next season and looking at how we can strengthen the team further.”
“Pedersen is my dream rider”
Hushovd isn’t shy about what kind of riders he admires — but his dream targets have more to do with character than cost. “Mads Pedersen is my dream rider,” he admitted. “I like the way he races — he rides a bit like I did. Maybe I’m a little blinded by that,” he said with a grin.
That admiration doesn’t necessarily mean a big-money signing is imminent. While rumours of high-profile additions inevitably follow Uno-X’s WorldTour promotion, Hushovd says timing — not finances — will decide any major move.
“A Vingegaard wouldn’t cost more than our entire budget,” he laughed. “We’ve got more than 50 riders — he doesn’t earn that much. If something like that ever happened, it would have to be the right timing.”
According to reports, Jonas Vingegaard’s salary at Team Visma | Lease a Bike sits between €4.3 and €5.2 million, while Mads Pedersen earns a little over €2.6 million at Lidl-Trek — figures that highlight the gap Uno-X would need to bridge to compete for those signatures. “There’s no doubt they’re riders every team would love to have,” Hushovd said. “But we don’t have the budget for that today.”
Building from within
For all the speculation, Hushovd insists Uno-X’s future will be built primarily on its own foundations rather than blockbuster transfers. “The perfect scenario is to develop a rider ourselves who wins a big race,” he said. “You can buy yourself a better chance, sure — but that costs money. We’ll start with the group we have and see what’s possible.”
That group currently features 20 Norwegians and nine Danes, a balance Hushovd intends to maintain as the team enters cycling’s top tier for the first time.
From a wildcard project to full-time WorldTour team, Uno-X’s journey is already one of modern cycling’s most remarkable success stories. Now comes the test of proving they belong there — and perhaps, one day, persuading a Danish superstar or two that the biggest Scandinavian dream is already unfolding in yellow.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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