"Now the really big Danish stars want to join": Uno-X manager explains how WorldTour promotion changes the whole game

Uno-X Mobility will join XDS Astana Team in exuberant celebrations at the end of this season. Both teams have achieved what many deemed unlikely, if not impossible, and will compete at the WorldTour level in 2026-2028 period. Unlike Astana who achieved the miracle through their own effort, the Scandinavian formation was also a bit "lucky" that one WorldTour license holder who was ranked above them will withdraw from the peloton.

Nevertheless, for the team that comprises of only Norwegian and Danish cyclists, it's a tremendous success and a righteous reward for the work done on the project in past years. But the story doesn't end with the promotion. Over the next three years, the hardest step is yet ahead; to prove that Uno-X truly belong to World Tour and that it wasn't just a fluke.

"The road will of course be much longer now that we've chosen this identity," team manager Thor Hushovd tells NRK. While the team stands out thanks to it's uniqueness, it's also a heavy restriction placed on the future growth. "We have far fewer riders to sign, and we're competing with teams with much higher budgets who sign whoever they want, regardless of their background."  

However the WorldTour license brings multiple benefits. One of those is that the best Danish riders in the peloton who would previously glance over Uno-X are finally taking notice of the formation where many of their friends from youth have found homes.

"Now the big Danish stars – and I mean really big stars – want to come here. Without naming names. I'll say it between the lines, but I'll leave it at that," he laughs. Previously, Lidl-Trek's leader Mattias Skjelmose was mentioned in context of leaving the American team for Uno-X, but we'll have to see if anything of that sort materializes.

It was precisely those Danes who, in the past, were reluctant to join Uno-X. The Norwegians were always enthusiastic about the project, but caution was always expressed from Denmark. "In the two years I've been with the team, I've found it difficult to sign Danes. But now there's a completely different tone in the pipeline."

For 2026, three Danes and three Norwegians join the project to keep numbers in balance. Most recently, Anthon Charmig returns to Uno-X aftrer two years in XDS Astana. The 27-year-old climber made the switch at the end of 2023, but did not find the breakthrough he was hoping for with the Kazakh team and thus rejoins his old friends. "What convinced me was hearing from my former teammates that they wanted me back," he said in a press release. "That made a big impression."

That Jonas Vingegaard would ever sign for a ProTeam was unthinkable, but now that Uno-X Mobility will compete in WorldTour, the really big stars could consider moving to a more familiar environment without a shadow of doubt.

"Now even top riders like Jonas Vingegaard are becoming relevant," says former Norwegian representant at the under-23 level Sondre Sørtveit. "With a guaranteed spot in the Tour de France for three years, the team becomes much more attractive."

Ex-pro with the iconic Crédit Agricole Mads Kaggestad also sees many doors opening up for Uno-X Mobility, but he does urge caution. "It's all about money," the Norwegian says. "Those guys cost up to 50 million kronor a year and take up a large portion of the budget. They have to ask themselves if it's worth it."