The suggestive landscapes of Troms county will host the Arctic Race of Norway 2025 from tomorrow until Sunday, August 10th, a short Norwegian stage race whose menu this year includes 658 kilometers and 9,200 meters of total elevation gain spread over four stages.

The start of the Scandinavian race organized by A.S.O., now in its twelfth edition and won last year by Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) ahead of Clement Champoussin and Kevin Vermaerke, will take place from Borkenes with a stage suitable for fast wheels that, after climbing the last mountain point 30 km from the finish, will likely contest the first partial victory and the first yellow jersey.

The following day, in the 153 km Tennevoll - Sørrreisa stage, the script should not change given the rather simple altimetric profile that once again winks at the sprinters, who however will have to pay particular attention to the finale where the circuit (to be repeated three times) including 1,900 meters of gravel could disrupt plans and make the final sprint challenging.

After giving space to the fast men, Saturday will be the turn of the general classification riders to take center stage in the queen stage that will lead the group from Husøy to Målselv: here, at the end of the tough 3.7 km climb at 7.8% average gradient already a finish location in 2021 and 2015, the most explosive climbers can make the difference and, in case of significant gaps, hypothesize success in the general classification.

On Sunday, along the 9 laps of the Tromsø city circuit characterized by the short Prestvannet climb (1.2 km at 7.5% average gradient), it will be difficult to create large gaps and, likely, the most resistant sprinters or, eventually, some brave finisseur will fight for the last significant scalp of the race.

MEN TO WATCH. A strong name at the start of the Arctic Race of Norway 2025 is certainly Tom Pidcock. The new European cross-country champion will return to road racing after more than a month since his last commitment at the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica, but the form recently shown on the mountain bike and a course that perfectly matches his characteristics make him undoubtedly the beacon of the race.

Who will try, among the 106 riders at the start, to make a head race alongside the Briton and try to put him in difficulty will certainly be Uno-X Mobility, which with Andreas Leknessund on one side and the eternal Alexander Kristoff on the other will try not only to repeat last year's overall classification success but also, at the same time, to take home as many stages as possible.

On this front, Corbin Strong (who appeared definitely in form at the last Tour de Wallonie concluded with a stage win and two second places plus the overall classification victory), Rick Pluimers (Tudor Pro Cycling), Arne Marit (Intermarchè-Wanty), Jason Tesson (Team TotalEnergies), Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma) and the combative XDS-Astana trio composed of Cees Bol, Aaron Gate (the oldest to debut in the event this year) and Davide Ballerini are also expected to be in the thick of the action.

The rider from Cantù will be one of the six Italians at the start along with ARN debutants Nicolas Milesi (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Lorenzo Rota (Intermarchè-Wanty), Stefano Oldani (Cofidis) and two men who already know the atmosphere of the Norwegian race like Davide De Pretto (winner with his Jayco-AlUla last year of the team classification) and Cristian Scaroni.

The Brescian, coming off good performances in Spain, will try to avenge the bitter second place in the general classification he suffered here two years ago behind Stephen Williams, a mission that is not easy given the contemporary presence on his path, in addition to the already mentioned Pidcock and Leknessund, of fierce rivals like Kevin Vermearke (third both in 2024 and last year), Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), Dylan Teuns (Cofidis), Florian Stork (Tudor), Lander Loockx (Unibet Tietema Rockets) and Merhawi Kudus (Burgos Burpellet BH) who will all be hunting for the best possible placement in the final standings.

STATEMENTS BY KRISTOFF, LEKNESSUND AND PIDCOCK.

Kristoff: "Years ago I managed to win the Arctic Race on the first day, but back then I was in better shape and the level was not as high as it is now, so we'll see. The second stage should end in a sprint and that's where I think I have the best chance of winning. In Tromsø, to be honest, I've done well in the past, but with all the laps of the circuit we'll have to do, the total elevation will be higher than in the stages raced there in the past. Of course, I'll try to help Leknessund, our man for the general classification, in the third stage. How has the race changed? Years ago it was not a very important race, big names did not participate, while now there are guys like Pidcock who use it to prepare for the Vuelta, so it is undoubtedly a growing event. It is definitely a very beautiful race and one of the safest you can do: here, in fact, there are not many dangers on the roads and the climate is much more relaxed compared to races held in Belgium or France".

Leknessund: "For me, this is not just another race. I started competing at the same time as the first editions of this race, with which, we can say, I grew up, first cheering on the roadside, then working as a volunteer and finally participating and winning it in 2022. If I were to say a stage I would like to take home, I would definitely say the one ending in my Tromsø, the 'Paris of the North', the city where I was born. It's a special place for me and I hope that on Sunday all people will be able to admire its beauty".

Pidcock: "It's been a long time since my last road race, so the idea is to use this race as preparation for the Vuelta in Spain. Of course, however, I won't back down and will try to win because, after all, this is a good opportunity to raise my arms to the sky. What do I expect from the Vuelta? If I manage to improve and regain some of the sensations I had at the beginning of the year, I think I can do well and get something more compared to the Giro where, coming from a big block of races, I showed I had a good rhythm but was lacking a bit of freshness".

STAGES IN PROGRAM.

Stage 1: Borkenes (Kvæfjord)-Harstad, 182 kilometers

Stage 2: Tennevoll (Lavangen)-Sørrreisa, 153 kilometers

Stage 3: Husøy (Senja)-Målselv, 182 kilometers

Stage 4: Tromsø-Tromsø, 141 kilometers