2_9_ScanMag_72_Jan_2015_Text_Q10_Scan Magazine 1 09/01/2015 22:43 Page 24
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Festivals in Norway
More than 60 nations will be watching the race on TV in 2015, and around 800,000 people are expected to line the streets to celebrate the racers.
Tour des Fjords: celebrating the stars of cycling For a century the best professional cyclists have ridden the roads of central Europe – now, they are venturing north. Behold a stage cycle race that unites the stars of cycling, competitive spirits and breath-taking Norwegian nature sceneries in five days of racing that is broadcast to more than 50 countries. Tour de France has found its northern match – Tour des Fjords is here to stay.
had some very good feedback from the teams that have taken part in the past,” says Hegreberg, adding: “2015 will see several large teams join us, as well as Alexander Kristoff, who will be defending his 2014 win on home ground.”
By Julie Lindén | Photos: Einar Oliver Landa
An inclusive, celebratory experience “I feel an immense pride in being able to show off Norwegian cycle sports and our nature to a large audience,” says Race Director Roy Hegreberg, who has also competed as a professional road cycle racer. “It’s also a chance to reach out to our local communities and showcase the sport, something I find very important.” Racing through Norwegian quintessence Held in the west of Norway on 27 May to 1 June, between the cities of Bergen and Stavanger (Norway’s second and third largest cities respectively), Tour des Fjords
24 | Issue 72 | January 2015
is primarily a UCI 2.1 race. This classification entails that the race is categorised by the Union Cycliste Internationale – the world’s governing body in the sport of cycle racing – as a multiple-day stage race. Throughout its five days and as many stages, the race offers various levels of difficulty. Both top continental and Norwegian cyclists take part in the race, which is made up of 22-24 teams racing for the win. “Some of the stages are very challenging and some offer less of a fight, but we’ve
With some 800,000 spectators cheering from the side of the race roads on the west coast in late May, there is all the more reason for racers to do their best. Additionally, more than 60 nations will be watching the race on TV, a sturdy increase from 2014. Norway’s largest commercial TV station will broadcast three hours of the race each day – a testament to its prominence, if any. Tour des Fjords will take racers and TV spectators through both larger towns and smaller coastal pearls of Norwegian quin-