Soren Waerenskjold about Alexander Kristoff's start at Tour de France: "I want to bring along those who can perform"

Soren Waerenskjold was unlucky with a puncture on the opening stage of Critérium du Dauphiné, but that doesn't concern him for the upcoming Tour de France. The 25-year-old winner of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad from earlier this year is yet to score a result this summer, but he already thinks of winning at the Grande Boucle.

"Yes," Waerenskjold says about whether he thinks he has grown to the position where he can demand a leadership at Tour. "I hope I get confirmation that I have the speed now in the Critérium du Dauphiné and in the Copenhagen Sprint. I'm betting that those races can give me confidence," he tells the Norwegian TV 2 Sport.

But it's not so easy since the team's captain Alexander Kristoff would love to give it a crack at the Tour for one last time in his career. Not that it would be the first time Waerenskjold would share lineup spot with the 37-year-old. "As far as I'm concerned, he could be in. It's up to the team. But he's going to retire soon, so maybe they want the retirees to stay home this year," he says and chuckles.

He then continues: "Those who deserve it will join the team. If he shows that he is in good shape, I will be happy to bring him along. I want to bring along those who can perform."

Could it be an option to have Kristoff lead-out his younger compatriot? "We haven't tried it that much. But I think he's good at it. He's tough. And most sprinters are pretty good at pulling up," Waerenskjold says.

Speaking of lead-outs, Uno-X Mobility are testing a secret weapon with Stian Fredheim who could prove vital if tests go well. "We are going to test the collaboration with Stian Fredheim. They want to test him a bit and see how he can handle the Dauphiné physically. The Dauphiné is not the Tour, but if he gets through it without any problems, he can easily do two weeks in the Tour," Waerenskjold conlcudes.