It is a significant responsibility that Johannes Kulset will have on his shoulders next May. At his first career start at the Giro d'Italia, the 2004 Oslo native will be the general classification rider for Uno-X Mobility on the roads of the Corsa Rosa.

This was revealed by the 21-year-old Scandinavian himself, who, after his experience last season where he participated in the Tour de France and finished in the top ten of AlUla Tour (3rd), Tour of Turkiye (5th), Tour of Slovenia (6th), and Vuelta Burgos (9th), can't wait to take on the role of team captain in a race that intrigues him greatly.

"The 2026 Giro d'Italia is very appealing... there are so many open stages" he told Domestique Cycling, referring to his 9th place finish at the Tour de l'Avenir three years ago.

"Instead of having nine super boring sprint stages and then four, five, six crazy mountain stages, in 2026 there are two or three very tough mountain stages and no predictable sprint stage. This will ensure that the general classification will be truly open, with the top ten riders very close to each other before the last three days of racing" said the youngest of the four Kulset brothers, subtly hoping to be among those competing for a prominent position in what promises to be a very balanced race.

"People have started trying to avoid the Tour because they know Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Remco are there and that for the first three places, unless someone gets sick, there's no contest. So, probably, the Giro's level from fourth to fifteenth place will be higher than the Tour's."

In this context, it will be interesting to see what role the young Norwegian will carve out for himself. On one hand, he might suffer from inexperience in managing a certain type of pressure over three weeks, but on the other, he could leverage the freshness of his 22 years (which he'll turn on April 14th) and find more energy when the race reaches its decisive phases. Regardless, what's certain is that Kulset will be the undisputed captain of a team that won't lack ambition and desire to animate the stages.

"At the moment, I will be the general classification leader. We'll have a really complete team with many strong riders suitable for breakaways. Our idea is that everyone will have their opportunity and then, when they're not in a breakaway, they'll support me 100%" Kulset explained, a rider who in Italy will be backed by solid teammates like Anders Skaarseth.

"For me, he is the ultimate domestique. He will definitely be by my side, acting as a race director and luxury helper" revealed the best young rider of the 2025 AlUla Tour, who aims to perform well on our roads while also making the most of the many hours spent on the time trial bike in recent months.

"I've worked a lot on time trials, making several adjustments and trying different things to find a good aerodynamic setup. I've trained much more on this bike compared to the past, and the result is that my numbers have improved significantly" Kulset revealed, who, in addition to focusing on time trials, has shifted towards a different type of training.

"Personally, I find it more important to train in zone 3 rather than zone 2. That's why I do many high-intensity workouts, like 6x10' repeats - hard but controlled efforts" said the yellow-red prospect confidently, ready to tackle and prepare for the challenge of his 2026 called Giro d'Italia.