Preliminary Start List: These Stars Will Battle for Victory in the Men’s Tour of Norway

The Tour of Norway circus is about to begin again! With world-class stars, hungry talents, and a host of Norwegians, everything is set for an action-packed edition of the race in 2025. The provisional start list is now ready as the Tour of Norway kicks off next week.

Last year’s winner of the men’s Tour of Norway, Axel Laurance, is back and chasing another overall victory—this time for his new team, INEOS Grenadiers.

Alongside experienced riders like Oscar Rodriguez and Omar Fraile, as well as young talents such as Andrew Augustand newly crowned U.S. time trial champion Artem Shmidt, the British team fields a solid and versatile squad.

Another powerhouse team bringing a strong line-up is Red Bull – BORA – Hansgrohe. Leading the charge for them is Maxim Van Gils. The Belgian boasts a victory at Eschborn–Frankfurt and podium finishes in prestigious races like La Flèche Wallonne and Strade Bianche—and will undoubtedly be a contender in the overall classification.

Tobias Lund Andresen from Team Picnic PostNL has two runner-up finishes from Tour of Norway stages to his name and is likely eager to take the final step to the top of the podium this year.

Norwegian favorite Alexander Kristoff leads the charge for Uno-X Mobility, in what looks to be his final Tour of Norway. He’s joined by a seasoned Norwegian team sure to hunt for stage wins on home soil. Last year’s third-place finisher, Ådne Holter, is also back for the Norwegian ProTeam—and stands out as their strongest GC hope. In addition to Uno-X, three other all-Norwegian teams will be at the start line in the men’s race: Team Coop – Repsol, Lillehammer CK Continental Team, and the Norwegian national team. That means plenty of riders for the home crowd to cheer for.

Visma | Lease a Bike is fielding an exciting mix of young climbers and classics specialists. The red-hot Matthew Brennan already has seven UCI wins this year—and will be a tough nut to crack. Among his teammates are Norwegian top prospects Per Strand Hagenes and Jørgen Nordhagen, both seen as future stars of Norwegian cycling.

Intermarché – Wanty also includes two Norwegians on their squad for this year’s Tour of Norway. Current U23 Norwegian champion Halvor Dolven gets a shot with the pro team, alongside none other than Felix Ørn-Kristoff—younger brother of Alexander Kristoff. This will be the first time the two brothers face off in a UCI race, and we’re excited to see who wins the sibling showdown!

For UAE Team Emirates – XRG, Tadej Pogačar’s loyal domestique, Vegard Stake Laengen, returns to a Norwegian UCI race for the first time since 2021—when he last rode the Tour of Norway. The powerhouse from Asker will be a key support rider for sprinter Juan Sebastian Molano and GC hopeful Alessandro Covi.

Unibet Tietema Rockets return for the second year in a row, this time with two Norwegian riders—Odd Christian Eiking and Cedrik Bakke Christophersen. The team is well known for its strong presence on YouTube and social media and always brings aggressive racing and plenty of entertainment!

See the full provisional start list below: