This afternoon at the FSA headquarters in Busnago, in the province of Monza and Brianza, the curtain was raised on the Drali – Repsol team.
The Norwegian Continental team led by Alexander Kristoff for 3 years will have as its primary name the historic Drali Milano bike brand, which is celebrating a century of life by supporting a project that has been a reference point for Northern European cycling since 2004.
The 10 Norwegian riders aged 19 to 24 hired for the 2026 season will debut with the new jersey at the end of February in Greece at the GP Visit South Aegean and will focus on the European calendar. Their ambition? To grow and make themselves known to the general public, one pedal stroke at a time.
The predetermined objectives were revealed by Alexander Kristoff, who concluded his career last October in Malaysia and is now ready for this new adventure as co-owner of the team. The European Champion from Herning 2017, winner of Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders, stated: "This is the club from my city, Stavanger, and it's the most historic in Norway. I never raced for them, but I've always trained with their athletes and have been involved for some time. With my experience, I hope to help young talents and the team they race for, putting to use everything I've learned over the years about training, races, and equipment. I'll do my best to be their mentor. I'll probably be more useful for sprinters than for the many climbers, but I've asked everyone to do a good job to grow together."
The General Manager of Drali, Manuel Colombo, explained the sponsorship choice: "In over 100 years since the founding of our company, many champions have triumphed on Drali bikes, starting from Costante Girardengo and the Campionissimo Fausto Coppi. Now it's time to look to the future and support the young talents of the Drali-Repsol team. As stated by Drali Milano's president Robert Carrara when we presented the partnership (formalized last November), for us it represents an excellent growth opportunity. The team is well-structured, and we are proud to begin a collaboration with an innovative team with whom we share the same values and passion."
There's a lot of Italy in this project, which goes beyond the first sponsor. Edoardo Girardi, General Manager of FSA-VISION EU, representing FSA and VISION, technical partners of the Norwegian team, added: "We want to enhance this synergy with Drali and support the young riders in the team roster (some already linked to World Tour formations with whom they will make the big leap in the coming years). We receive many requests, but we have embraced this one for the professionalism of the project and can't wait to see the guys in action."
The Global Vice President of FSA, Claudio Marra, concluded the interventions by sending a heartfelt wish to the entire team: "We collaborate with many World Tour teams, but we want to support smaller realities that help grow tomorrow's champions. In the past, we have been alongside brands like Ridley and Cervelo, which then became giants. We wish the same for Drali and a super season for Drali – Repsol."
The Roster of Team Drali – Repsol 2026:
BJUNE Ulrik
RANBERG Sander
KJELDSAND Karl Emil
MARTINSEN Toralf Rydningen
NAKKEN Tobias Risan
SEKSE Jørgen
UTENGEN SANDSTAD Halvor
VANG AAS Eirik
VESLUM Sebastian
ØKSNES Håkon Eiksund
foto Matteo Cicerone/Drali
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