SAN SEBASTIAN (VG) Killer instinct. Aggressiveness. Adrenaline. Stake. That’s what coach Alexander Kristoff, 35, demands before today’s stage of the Tour de France.

– 90 percent of sprints depend on what’s happening For The last 200 meters, said Stein Ørn.

He talked about the importance of positioning before the sprint. In other words, being in the right position as the field prepares for the final.

Because Alexander Kristoff is not the fastest sprinter in the Tour de France. The best opportunities come towards the end of the race. When everyone is tired.

His coach still replied “of course he can” when asked if the 35-year-old could win today’s stage. But Örn didn’t want a percentage chance.

– He’s never been better at making good choices when needed than now, he told VG.

In an interview with the magazine Village Roadthen Kristoff revealed an expression he earned between 100 and 200 watt watt The watt rating, or watt, is the unit of measurement of power used in cycling to measure a rider’s performance. This unit refers to the total amount of energy used by a cyclist per unit time, usually measured in seconds. In cycling, and especially during sprints, watts can be a determining indicator of a rider’s performance. Cyclists’ watts are directly related to how fast they can cycle. A higher wattage rating means the rider can generate more power, resulting in a faster ride. This is especially important in sprints, where the rider must generate enormous power in a short amount of time to reach high speeds. less in sprints today than he did when he was fastest ten years ago.

Stein Ørn confirmed the information.

And when VG told this to an international journalist at the Tour de France press center this week, his reaction was one of laughter.

– Then he will not win a single stage in this year’s race, said the concerned.

Eagle did not agree

But Stein Ørn is more concerned with the mental than the physical ahead of today’s and tomorrow’s relatively flat stages.

– Alexander has generated more watts than he does today, but his best performances have come with the values ​​of where he is today. That’s not the most important thing for success now, says Ørn.

He talks about how important it is to light a fire in Alexander Kristoff.

The beast must wake up.

– The necessary aggressiveness must appear. He needs to dry. “Kicket” must register. He had to be willing to take risks and want this. I wanted to see that killer instinct and see that he had adrenaline, Ørn told VG.

– Is it harder all the time he gets older, wins big and starts a family?

– That’s right, start Stein Ørn.

– He can be too rational and focused on safety. But in sprints, you have to take chances and be aggressive. The kick has to be there, coach Kristoff said.

He is also Kristoff’s stepfather.

– you are family. Is it strange to talk about how Alexander had to take more risks?

– When you are experienced like these people, it will be fine. At the Tour de France you meet quite reasonable people. They know each other and know what they are doing. So I consider this to be a technically pretty secure environment.

Although not worried

Alexander Kristoff put himself one level below the fastest favorites, such as Fabio Jakobsen and Jasper Philipsen.

– I may be a notch below them and may have to be a bit lucky to get to the top. But we are fighting for points here, so we will take the positions we got, he told VG.

Confronted with the backlash — laughter — that he wouldn’t have won the stage if he didn’t generate as many watts as in his heyday, he said:

– I was short on those watts when I won in 2020 too, so it’s possible. I don’t run much worse than that. But I must be a bit lucky.

Time problem

Back to where we started. Positioning.

Alexander Kristoff won the previous stage of the Tour de France in Nice in 2020.

He rides for the new Norwegian team. Some of the teammates that will be towing him to today’s race have never ridden in a race before.

– They just keep getting better and I’m very impressed with the steps Uno-X is taking. Riders are very good at taking feedback and adapting. The potential is huge, believes Stein Ørn.

He only has one anchor point.

– The question is whether they managed to figure it out. Now they have no more time, he said.