"We invested in long-term goals": Kristoff's stepfather reveals the secrets behind the family cycling dynasty

Alexander Kristoff recently put an end to his career, while his younger half-brother, Felix Orn-Kristoff, is just getting started. But behind both of them stands the same architect: Stein Orn. The 57-year-old has spent decades refining a training philosophy that turned Alexander into a highly successful sprinter and is now fast-tracking Felix’s rise to the top.

Stein Orn, Alexander’s stepfather and Felix’s father, is not just a "cycling dad." He is a heart specialist and a professor of biochemistry, bringing a scientific approach to coaching that was ahead of its time when he began working with a six-year-old Alexander.

"If you look at the beginning of Alexander's development, he wasn't, apparently, as good as the others were," Orn explained to Tv2. "We invested in long-term goals and not just acute gain."

And that patience paid off spectacularly. Alexander Kristoff has racked up 98 professional victories, including four Tour de France stages, the European Championship title, and victories at Milan-San Remo (2014) and the Tour of Flanders (2015). He was fighting to reach the 100 wins club, but a crash in Langkawi forced him to give up that dream.

Now, that same methodology is being applied to Felix, but with a major upgrade: experience. Felix, who will be riding for Lotto Intermarché in 2026, is benefiting from decades of trial and error.

"When he was younger, he came to me and asked what he had to do to get better," Orn said regarding Felix's early interest. "It is clear that I have much greater competence now than I had when Alexander started. Now I know the entire course from amateur to top positions at World Tour level."

The results are already visible. In 2024, Felix emulated his brother by becoming the Junior European Champion. In 2025, at just 19 years old, he won the Tour de Bretagne. "When Felix came and asked, I could give him a better long-term plan than what I could give Alexander," Orn noted.

For Felix, having a living legend in the family is an invaluable resource. "Yes, naturally. I get constant feedback on what I do. If I ask how Alexander did things, dad has the answers. There is motivation in that, but it is especially helpful to have Alexander in the picture."

In the documentary series Pappatreneren (The Dad Coach), Orn opened up about the philosophy of parenting elite athletes. He was firm that the drive must come from the athlete, not the parent. "The children must be motivated themselves. In other words, if they don't want to themselves... You cannot push the children to it. They have to want this themselves, otherwise it's no use," he stated.

However, the doctor is concerned about the changing lifestyle of modern youth. He believes that convenience technology is robbing young athletes of "free" training volume that previous generations had.

"What you see is that there has been a change in physical activity. Alexander cycled to and from everything he did. If he was going to train strength, he cycled there," Orn recalled. "Now young people get to training using scooters, that is not what you want. You want them to be physically active as much as possible during a day."