The exodus of talents from Arkéa – B&B Hotels is in full swing. After the expectable depratures of talented climbers Kevin Vauquelin, Raul Garcia Pierna, or Embret Svestad-Bardseng, another name has been confirmed to be on their way to a new home in 2026. The 24-year-old Martin Tjotta will strengthen Norwegian team Uno-X Mobility – a return to his homeland after Tjotta left Norway in pursuit of his professional career three years ago.
The Norwegian rider took a gamble in the middle of 2022 season when he packed his stuff and travelled to France to join amateur team Bourg-en-Bresse, but the gamble had paid off massively. Only 12 months later, the rising talent was spotted by Arkea who brought Tjotta on a traineeship. And after a season with their development team, Tjotta made a professional debut with the French team at the age of 23.
Already in his first professional season, Tjotta was nominated for Giro d’Italia where he impressed with strong climbing performances.
With Arkéa in danger of disbanding, all riders were allowed to look for a new team and Tjotta who had a contract through 2026 at the time was no exception. But luckily for him, Uno-X Mobility stepped in and so Tjotta has secured himself a three-year contract with the team where he’ll have further opportunities to grow next to riders such as Tobias Halland Johannessen – 6th at recent Tour de France.
Managing Director Thor Hushovd believes Tjøtta is ready to take the next step in his career: “Martin is a rider who deserves investment. After two seasons at Arkéa, I am convinced he can become a successful climber with us. Thanks to the performance environment we are building at Uno-X, I am confident Martin can make great progress.”
Now ready to return to a Scandinavian team, Tjøtta is delighted with the decision: “I’m happy to be joining Uno-X Mobility. I have a lot of respect for the team’s performance team, and I think they can take me to the next level. Joining a Scandinavian team with friends I grew up racing with will also be great.”