“We must bring the race back”: Alexander Kristoff leads the charge for a 2027 Tour of Norway revival

The future of the Tour of Norway remains uncertain after the race disappeared from the calendar in 2026 due to financial difficulties. Recently appointed race director Alexander Kristoff has made the event’s return his top priority, with the former professional rider now leading efforts to secure funding and restore one of Scandinavia’s most popular stage races. While organizers remain hopeful of returning in 2027, Kristoff admits that key financial decisions still need to be made in the coming months.

Kristoff officially became race director on 1 June, and he said his immediate task is clear. “The first thing is that we must bring the race back because this year we couldn’t organize it,” he explained in words to Eurosport. “I wasn’t involved in that decision, as I only started this job recently.”

Once the race is secured, Kristoff expects to take on the traditional responsibilities of a race director, including designing routes, coordinating host cities and managing unforeseen issues during the event itself. However, all of that depends on finding sufficient financial backing. “At the moment, the main mission is to find sponsors who can help us organize the race,” Kristoff said.

According to the Norwegian, the situation became critical after a longstanding source of government funding unexpectedly disappeared last winter. “Normally we would have had an edition this year. We always received government support to organize the race, but that funding disappeared suddenly without warning. We simply didn’t have enough money.”

The costs associated with hosting a professional stage race in Norway are very high. “It is very expensive to bring teams to Norway with flights, hotels, ferries and police costs. This year it was difficult, and we hope to come back in 2027.”

Despite the setback, Kristoff believes there are reasons for optimism. Discussions with potential sponsors are ongoing, although organizers are still unable to guarantee that the race will return next season.

“Not yet,” he said when asked whether a 2027 edition is certain. “We will probably know more in September. We have meetings in August and we hope to find the funding needed to organize the race.”

Kristoff acknowledged the challenge smaller races face when competing for sponsorship against cycling’s biggest events. “Of course, the Tour de France and the biggest races have the sponsors and the money. Smaller races like the Tour of Norway always struggle to find enough sponsors. Sometimes we even have to pay for television coverage. It’s almost the opposite of how things normally work.”

Even so, discussions with local businesses have produced encouraging signs. “We are working on finding partners and on what we can offer them in return,” Kristoff explained. “We are quite confident because we have received positive feedback from several large local companies.”

The former rider pointed to the presence of major energy companies around his hometown of Stavanger as a possible source of support. “A lot of large oil companies are based in Stavanger, where I come from. They obviously have money, but the question is whether sponsorship is the right solution for them.”

Organizers estimate that more than EUR 1 million is required to stage both the men’s and women’s races. “To organize the race, I would say between EUR 1 million and EUR 2 million,” Kristoff said. “With EUR 2 million, we would have a good race. We already have part of that amount. We are closer than people might think.”