Tobias Johannessen on classics debut: "I'm still discovering and learning what kind of rider I want to be"

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team have a bunch of gems within their squad however perhaps the brightest of all is Tobias Johannessen. The young Norwegian talent is one of the best stage-racers in the upcoming generation and the team is giving him freedom to explore other option in his development, as he has been riding the cobbled classics recently.

"It was tough, but fun. I am also pleased that I was able to participate in the final right away. I really enjoy racing on the cobblestones, but admittedly, it was not not completely new to me. I already have some mountain bike and cyclocross experience, and it's not that different, it's a cool way of racing that appeals to me for the future," he told Wielerflits.

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He completed: "If you want to become a "real" racer, you have to dare to take these kinds of races, I think that's important. I'm still discovering and learning what kind of rider I want to be, so I want to try everything a little bit. It's not because I won l'Avenir that I will definitely become a stage-racer."

Johannessen is one of the most talented riders of the upcoming generation. At 22, he's the current Tour de l'Avenir champion and last season he has won two stages at the Sazka Tour and finished second in the U23 Giro d'Italia. Having at least two more seasons with the Uno-X team, there is clearly a sense of collective ambition within the team made up of 29 Norwegian and Danish riders which have been one of the big sensations of the last seasons.

At Le Samyn they took Rasmus Tiller to ninth place as he won the bunch sprint behind the leading group, however it was with the support of an unexpected piece as Johannessen himself went to Belgium to test his legs, just as he did at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

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He is set to race Tour des Flandres later in the spring, a race where the climbing will be crucial and he may find himself more at ease, as Uno-X have gotten a flurry of wildcards in this classics season. However his upcoming goal will be at the Volta a Catalunya, where he will be going head-to-head with some of the riders he's set to face in the coming years for the first time.

“That will be a new experience, probably at an even higher level. For me also the first test to discover my climber's legs with the pros, because in Bessèges [where he won the queen stage] the climbing kilometers were even rather limited. I'm looking forward to it, but don't know what to expect," he concluded.