It will not be in cycling, barring any sensational and currently unpredictable developments, that we will see Johannes Høsflot Klæbo engaged in the immediate future.

Winner of six gold medals in as many races at the last Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, the Norwegian cross-country skiing legend had ventured the hypothesis a year ago of switching to two wheels by joining the Uno-X team once the Italian five-ring event concluded. With the Olympic flames extinguished, this possibility has recently gained traction again, being relaunched by various sector media outlets.

In the past week, the Scandinavian team's GM Thor Hushovd has also, almost inevitably, been called upon to weigh in on the matter, welcoming the possible transition of the Oslo champion to cycling with favor. However, in recent hours, another member of the red-and-orange squad has framed this scenario as substantially unrealizable.

During the Opening Weekend, when directly asked about the case, Gino Van Oudenhove responded with great frankness, making it clearly understood that, at the moment, there is nothing concrete to bring Klæbo into cycling.

"Social media are social media," the Belgian sporting director stated to Sporza, referring to the multiple rumors circulating on various platforms. "If such an opportunity presents itself, we will seize it, but it is absolutely not in our plans to have him race".

Van Oudenhove, therefore, faced reality head-on, reiterating what Klæbo himself had suggested at the close of the Games—namely, that despite having already won everything in his sport, in the coming years skiing and cross-country racing will still be at the center of his days as an athlete.

That said, the experienced Uno-X sporting director was not surprised by the rumors that have emerged about Klæbo's possible entry into cycling, as he himself emphasized, because in Norway there is no shortage of young athletes who, armed with remarkable endurance numbers, decide at some point to switch to disciplines other than those in which they made their name.

"Bodø Glimt's striker, Kasper Hogh, beat Klæbo in cross-country skiing when they were 15 years old. In Norway we are a step ahead in endurance sports. You see it in minor sports and now also in the more important ones. It is an ideal country in which to grow".

Photo Credit: Instagram Klæbo