![\"Sakarias](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sakarias-koller-loland-68f5ff8099573.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n
\nA season that changed everything<\/p>\n
Kulset\u2019s words carry weight after what Uno-X achieved this year. Against all expectations, the small Norwegian outfit overturned a 3,000-point deficit to Cofidis and clinched a coveted WorldTour licence \u2014 a result few had thought remotely possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the start of the year, I thought we were going to change how we raced, but we didn\u2019t really do that,\u201d Kulset explained. \u201cI also thought we would change the programme, but we didn\u2019t focus too much on the points. The team just wanted us to perform as well as possible. If we got enough points, we\u2019d deserve to be a WorldTour team. If not, we\u2019d stay in the ProTour.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a strategy built on calmness and consistency rather than desperation. \u201cMagnus Cort had super good results in Strade Bianche and Milano\u2013Sanremo, and we started scoring big in the WorldTour races as well, with Tobias in the Dauphin\u00e9 and in the Tour,\u201d he said. \u201cIt started to come naturally in the final months, when we realised we actually had a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
When that belief took hold, their approach evolved. \u201cWe stopped going all in for one rider and began racing with two or three options instead,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Tre Valli Varesine, for example, I helped Tobias but also saved myself enough to fight for a top ten. We still raced to win, but we kept more riders in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
By late summer, hope had turned into conviction. \u201cProbably around the start of August,\u201d Kulset recalled. \u201cThe first time I really heard the sports directors talk about it was in San Sebasti\u00e1n and then in Burgos. We always had it in the back of our minds, but it still felt too far away. Then we had a super good summer, especially after the Tour. Tobias scored a lot of points, but also Abra, Stian and S\u00f8ren. That was when we realised it was possible and started to really focus on the points.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Uno-X’s World Tour promotion was secured by\u00a0Sakarias Koller Loland in Veneto<\/p>\n
The Tour breakthrough<\/p>\n
Everything changed in July. After years of close calls, Jonas Abrahamsen finally took that elusive Tour de France stage win \u2014 a moment Kulset believes transformed the team\u2019s confidence. \u201cYeah, for sure. I think that was when we really saw that we were on the level to fight with the best. When you win on the biggest stage, you see that everything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tobias Halland Johannessen\u2019s sixth place overall only reinforced that message. \u201cThat changed everything for the team,\u201d Kulset said. \u201cWe saw signs at Omloop too, but that was a crazy race where everything opened up for S\u00f8ren and he just flew through the middle. In the Tour, though, it was pure strength. It was deserved and it meant a lot to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next wave \u2014 and the \u201cwonderkid\u201d debate<\/p>\n
Uno-X\u2019s rise has coincided with a new generation of young riders coming through the Scandinavian system, but Kulset isn\u2019t quick to label himself among the sport\u2019s prodigies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my opinion, unless you\u2019re on the level of Ayuso or Del Toro, there\u2019s no point talking about being a wonderkid,\u201d he said. \u201cSeixas is a wonderkid because he\u2019s incredibly good. When you\u2019re third at the European Championships, then you can talk about winning the Tour because he definitely has that potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was equally quick to highlight others who have impressed him. \u201cRiders like Lorenzo Finn and Jarno Widar are super impressive. Jorgen Nordhagen is good, but not quite on their level. There are so many strong guys from 2000 to 2006, and more coming up. But the step from being talented to being the best is enormous. The gap from Remco down to the rest, and then from Remco up to Pogacar, is huge. Of course I want to be there one day, but I don\u2019t compare myself to anyone yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking ahead \u2014 the Giro, not the Tour<\/p>\n
With WorldTour status secured, Kulset\u2019s focus now turns to his own development \u2014 and his likely second Grand Tour start in 2026. \u201cI\u2019ll definitely do a Grand Tour next year, and it\u2019s probably going to be the Giro,\u201d he revealed. \u201cI\u2019m going to altitude in November, and that\u2019s the plan for now. Honestly, I think the Giro could be harder than the Tour because some riders are scared of Pogacar and prefer to race for a good result in Italy rather than getting smashed in France. As long as Pogacar isn\u2019t in the Giro, the racing will be different. There will be more breakaways and more opportunities. The Tour is just so stressful. I think it will be good for a lot of young riders to start with the Giro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Promotion will bring new challenges, but the Norwegian believes Uno-X have the squad depth to meet them. \u201cIf you look at our riders, Tobias could do two Grand Tours, maybe that\u2019s not ideal, but Kron, Leknessund, Cort, Hoelgaard and Tiller can all do two as well,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ll have around twenty riders who can handle Grand Tours, so we have the depth. I think we can compete in all three. The challenge will be the one-week races. It\u2019s hard to cover everything at the same level, but we\u2019re improving every year. With the young riders we have, the potential is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
A team built, not bought<\/p>\n
Uno-X\u2019s rise has been one of cycling\u2019s feel-good stories \u2014 a team that earned its place at the sport\u2019s top table through steady growth and belief rather than big-budget signings. \u201cWe just focused on performing,\u201d Kulset said simply.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, in a sport obsessed with rankings, analytics and points, that\u2019s all it takes.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A season that changed everything Kulset\u2019s words carry weight after what Uno-X achieved this year. Against all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215470,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-215469","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}