Six. This is the position from which, in mid-February, Tobias Halland Johannessen will restart his fifth professional season. It is in sixth place that the twenty-six-year-old from Drøbak closed the last Tour de France, a result (the best ever achieved by a Norwegian rider in France) that has put him in a different light and that could realistically be the turning point of his career.

As a '99 class rider, the twin brother of Anders has likely not yet shown all his limits and reached the apex of his potential, a point that he, like his Uno-X Mobility, hopes to progressively approach by following up on what he showed in the last season and working on details and aspects not yet fully explored.

This is the case, for example, with the time trial, a specialty that an ambitious stage race rider like him must and can still improve if he wants to excel in certain competitive contexts. Aware of this, the team, as Johannessen himself revealed in an interview with Domestique Cycling during the training camp in Spain, has rolled up their sleeves and worked diligently to make the most functional corrections to the position of the Tour de l'Avenir 2021 winner.

"The setup we have developed is truly remarkable. I won't reveal all the advantages it will give me, but I can say they are truly important" Johannessen stated. "Now getting on the time trial bike is much more pleasant. The position is more comfortable and seems to translate into greater speed, and this makes it easier to both train and perform with this bike".

The sensations, to be verified on the road, are therefore positive for the young Norwegian who is well aware of the importance of the time trials at the upcoming Tour de France, a race that, opening with a team time trial in Barcelona, will require being ready from the start.

"The time each rider will record will be valid for the classification, so the general classification riders will have to sprint to the line and it will be essential to be well prepared. We have very strong riders and we are a group that likes to work together" Johannessen stated, leaving no doubts about the main focus of a season that, in his case, will begin on February 16th with the UAE Tour.

"I like this type of race where often an easier day is followed by a stage with a climb to be tackled at full throttle" said the Scandinavian rider about the Emirates race where he will face, among others, Remco Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro and Jonas Vingegaard.

"The Jebel Mobrah climb is the one I'm most looking forward to because that's where we light climbers can have a real advantage and record some power peaks, which is quite fun".

After the experience in the United Arab Emirates, Johannessen's season will continue with Strade Bianche and Itzulia Basque Country ("A race that suits my characteristics well") before the anticipated Ardennes Classics.

"I hope to compete strongly with good condition because they are one of my main spring objectives" Johannessen exclaimed. "The Arrow is the one that best matches my climber skills for the explosiveness required on the slopes of an iconic finish like the Mur de Huy, but the most important race for me remains Liège. My dream is to finish among the top five one day and, of course, maybe win it, but this is quite difficult today with Pogačar's presence. It's a very tough race, I think one of the hardest races I've done and will do in my life".

At that point, after putting the renowned Triptych behind him, Johannessen will have only the Tour de France in his thoughts, where he will try to further improve his superlative placement from 2025, also avoiding illnesses and health issues like those he experienced during the last edition.

"During the first week I was sick and suffered a lot from coughing. During the seventh stage, arriving at Mur de Bretagne, halfway through I was so unwell that I was almost about to retire, but I decided to give everything to reach the finish line and then see how to handle it. A couple of days later I felt good again and it was possible to continue my Tour" Johannessen revealed, who, by staying away from these situations, is convinced he can elevate his performance level and, consequently, his final result.

"I think there are certainly more disadvantages than advantages to being sick during the first week of a Grand Tour, so, considering how much less energy I had, I believe I can do even better this year" explained the Uno-X rider.

"The hope is to climb on the podium one day because it would be a great result for me, but if this year I finish with a better race than last year, ending seventh, I won't be disappointed because the Tour, as you know, is a very tough race. You're shoulder to shoulder with many truly strong riders at their peak, and it's difficult to predict how it might go".

What is certain is that the French race is demanding and exhausting, capable of consuming you and extremely testing your recovery abilities and mental endurance. For this reason, Johannessen will evaluate how to approach the second part of his season only once he reaches the Champs-Élysées, although another event he already has in mind is the World Championships.

"The World Championships course is very beautiful and I really want to test myself because, looking closely, it should be quite suitable for me. It's much more challenging than it looks on television and for this reason, the upcoming might be one of the toughest World Championships in recent years" Johannessen admitted, who would not mind being part of the race in Canada, a country he might reach after fine-tuning his legs in what would be his first Vuelta España.

"My autumn program is still to be defined, but there is still a possibility that I could participate in two Grand Tours this season. Racing the Vuelta would be a dream and if I can recover adequately after the Tour, I believe it's possible to achieve this year" Johannessen said before revealing that he is not at all obsessed with the Tour and that perhaps, in another situation, he would have even followed different paths for this first year in the World Tour.

"The Tour is obviously the most important race in the world, but I think for us cyclists it's also very nice to take part in the Giro or the Vuelta. So, perhaps, if it were up to me to decide, this year I would have liked to do the Giro-Vuelta double to try something new since I've participated in the Tour for three years in a row" was Johannessen's admission, who then reiterated that the decision to focus again on the Tour was carefully considered and made considering how truly stimulating the French presence was for him.

"I really want to retry the Grande Boucle preparing everything perfectly. Last year I ultimately had good sensations and, in terms of the general classification, I think I still have something to give. In terms of schedule, therefore, I believe it's easier and represents a good solution for me to focus only on this and then see later if I'll be in a condition to race the Vuelta, hunting for stages or racing in support of a teammate for their general classification" concluded the young Norwegian, intending to direct the second part of a 2026 that promises to be quite rich in challenges only subsequently.