After Edvald Boasson Hagen received a counter notification on Tuesday that he was on the TotalEnergies team, Norway had six drivers on the starting line in Friday’s opening stage in Copenhagen. This marks the start of the 109th edition of the world’s greatest bicycle race.

TV 2 cycling expert Magnus Aarre still believes that Norway’s chances of a stage win are slim.

– I see Norway’s chances of winning are bad. (Alexander) Kristoff is the most realistic expectation, but among sprinters the competition is high. “If you don’t succeed in the second, third or fourth stage, it will be difficult,” he told NTB.

Aarre named Fabio Jakobsen (Fast Step), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) as Kristoff’s biggest competitors on the flat and hilly stages.

– The rest of the Norwegians are more or less additional riders to their team, and I don’t imagine that any of them can beat a fracture specialist on the field.

early danish

This year’s race kicked off at an individual opening pace in Copenhagen. Two more stages take place on Danish soil before the field moves to northern France.

During the tour, riders will pass through six flat, seven hilly and six mountain stages. Tempo is executed in the first and penultimate stages.

In addition to stages two, three and four, stages five, eight, 13, 15, 19 and 21 are considered stages where Norway can have a chance. Among other things, Alexander Kristoff has fond memories of the final stages on the Champs-Élysées, where in 2018 he defeated John Degenkolb and Arnaud Démare in the sprint and became the second Norwegian in history to win the prestigious stage.

The following Norwegians are on the starting line this year: Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty), Andreas Leknessund (DSM), Amund Grøndahl Jansen (BikeExchange), Sven Erik Bystrøm (Intermarché-Wanty), Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Emirates) and Edvald Boasson -Hagen (Total Energy).

Two potential winners

On the combined front, Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) are expected to battle it out for a win. Aarre believes that the former has the most reliable team around him, but still holds the button on the winners of the last two editions.

– For me it is 60/40 in favor of Pogacar. He was sharper on the slopes, and his speed was incredible. “UAE have some riders who can vary in performance, but if both their teams perform as expected, I think Pogacar will take it in the end,” he said.

– What other racers could come to be involved in the battle for the yellow jersey?

– I really thought no one would. If I had to name a few, I’d still like to highlight Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma). “I also believe in Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-hansgrohe) because this is a track that suits him,” said Aarre.

Finally, cycling experts also highlighted Enriqc Mas (Movistar) and Ben O’Connor (AG2R) as potential challengers.