Relief for Odd Christian Eiking as Uno-X Mobility offer sanctuary with one-year contract

Odd Christian Eiking is back in the peloton after a long wait for a new deal. The 29-year-old Norwegian has signed a one-year deal with the Uno-X Mobility team.

"He has proven that he is one of the best riders in Norway. Now we hope he will flourish in the Uno-X jersey and return to his old level," says the team's recently appointed general manager, Thor Hushovd to TV2. "It could not have been OK for him to be without a contract at the age of 29. I would like to think it has been thought provoking."

Eiking has had a rough few months since his deal with EF Education-EasyPost expired at the end of 2023. The former wearer of the Red Jersey at the Vuelta a Espana is awaiting the birth of his first child and had admitted concerns about unemployment given his delicate situation. To top off his troubles, Eiking was also recently the victim of a robbery, losing out on a much-loved bike.

"We had to do some research. But the boy has trained well and the data shows that he has good values," Hushovd analyses. "He deserves to be allowed to continue his career, while at the same time he has to deliver. He didn't get the conditions he had probably envisioned, and he now has something to prove to himself, the team and his surroundings."