For Italian riders, most of the time, participating in the Giro d'Italia is one of the greatest dreams of their career, if not the greatest of all. Like the Tour for the French and the Vuelta for the Spanish, the Giro Rosa for those born within our borders has something special about it, often linked to sweet childhood memories, moments spent in front of the TV or roadside that have been able to ignite in the hearts of future cyclists the passion for this sport.

Norway has never had a Grand Tour or a classic Monument capable of fueling that drive towards two wheels but, since 2013, they have been able to count on the Arctic Race of Norway which, until last year together with the Tour of Norway, has played the role of a catalyzing event and a race capable of inspiring new generations of riders.

It is therefore not irrelevant the mission carried out over these last thirteen years by the race organized by A.S.O. together with Arctic Sport and, to better understand what impact it has had at the local level, you just need to ask the Norwegian professionals currently in the peloton.

"It's very important to me. This is the last major race we have here in Norway, the most important one we can compete in our country to showcase ourselves in front of the public. It has always taken place very far from where I grew up, in Oslo (more or less it's the same distance as from here to Paris), but I've always followed it on television. I grew up with this race, I know its culture and for this reason I don't hide that it's important to me," explained Martin Tjøtta to our microphones.

"It's fantastic to be here because it's the only professional race we have left in Norway but, apart from that, it's also really well organized," echoed Odd Christian Eiking. "It's not just a simple race, but a really beautiful event. Moreover, as a Norwegian, I find it wonderful to race on the roads of home, in your own country and, you know, to have familiarity with everything," continued the Unibet Rose Rockets rider who, in his seven participations, has had the opportunity to fully grasp the essence and merits of the race.

"It seems to me that it has been very professional and well organized from the beginning. It's very simple and has its own somewhat particular atmosphere, very different from those of other races in the rest of the continent: for this reason I think it represents something new for all those who come to race it and I believe everyone finds it pleasant to be here for five days or so," he said.

At the Arctic Race, Eiking also linked one of the most beautiful and satisfying moments of his career by triumphing in 2019 on the steep climb of Storheia which this year the organizers have decided to reinsert into the route: for him that is still today the most significant memory of his time beyond the Arctic Circle.

"Time has passed, seven years, but actually it doesn't seem like it. I haven't won much, just three races as a professional, so I have no problem saying that, given how I obtained it and since I was racing at home, it was the most beautiful. I also have other beautiful memories of this race linked to the results but also to the days when we found good weather, to the enchanting views we admired, to the excellent stays in the hotels here... When we race we are certainly focused, but there are also moments when we manage to enjoy what we have around us," he said.

Different instead, like his experience at the ARN, is the highlight of Tjøtta who at these latitudes as a professional made his debut in more recent times, putting together, with this year's, four participations in his home race: "The most beautiful moment was last year when I finished sixth on the third stage (with the uphill finish at Målselv, ed.). That was really a beautiful day," confessed the twenty-five-year-old from Uno-X Mobility who, despite racing in a team acclaimed and observed by everyone in his country, then clarified that there is no greater pressure on him and his teammates due to the fact of racing at home.

"Obviously we want to make a good impression and get noticed by the public of our country, but no one internally has explicitly told me that I must win this race so I don't think the team necessarily exerts too much pressure on us," concluded calmly the seventh-place finisher of the last Arctic Race of Norway.

Photo credit: ARN/Thomas Maheux