Another edition, the thirteenth of the Arctic Race of Norway, has come to an end, offering, as it has always done in the past, the customary and appreciated succession of enchanting landscapes, steep climbs and moments of great folklore thanks to the always warm local public.

To all this was added an uncertain race, fought and open until the very end, decided as tradition dictates by just a few seconds and minimal gaps that managed to keep the level of suspense high until the final finish line in Narvik. Here, after the first New Zealand success in the history of the race achieved in 2025 by Corbin Strong, Uruguay forcefully landed on the honor roll of the event, bringing the victory in the general classification with Thomas Silva, standard-bearer of an XDS Astana that, at these latitudes, has thus confirmed that it finds itself particularly at ease.

With the first triumph of a South American rider, the Arctic Race of Norway has thus closed the curtain on the 13th chapter of its history, setting the appointment for next year when the magical lands of northern Norway will return to show themselves, thanks to the race organized by A.S.O. in collaboration with Arctic Sport, in all their splendor.

About the ARN that will be and the one that has been this year, to close the circle we spoke with Tom Høgli, Managing Director of the northernmost professional road cycling race in the world.

Tom, what is your assessment of this Arctic Race of Norway?

"I am very happy with how this edition went. The weather was better than the initial forecasts, we went through eleven municipalities (and I believe this is a new record for the Arctic Race) and there was excellent cooperation between the communities in the area. So I think the event went very well, the riders seemed satisfied to me, so overall we are pleased".

You have worked a lot, and we have verified this firsthand, on the sustainability front and to constantly maintain the appeal of this race: what will you focus on in the future and what can we expect from the Arctic Race in the coming years?

"What we must always try to do is evolve and innovate. This year, for example, we broadcast the television signal through 4G and 5G mobile networks. Now we need to understand what the next step will be and we are working on it, but I think that a key element for us is precisely to innovate. Being able to do something different, especially in this part of Norway very far from the rest of Europe, I believe is important to become recognizable throughout the world: this is our objective. From this point of view, in my opinion, the people involved in the Arctic Race are really doing an excellent job".

Are you aiming to expand the race by giving it one or more stages in the future?

"It is not a question we have on the table at the moment. What we are evaluating is, in the future, a possible collaboration with Sweden and Finland. We have talked to them so I do not rule out that in a while we could develop some stages in the northern part of these nations. Nothing, however, has been decided yet. In the political sphere, however, these countries have been collaborating very well for some time now, so the idea would be to exploit this type of relationship for the Arctic Race Norway. We are thinking about it".

Are you officially aiming to become a World Tour race? Personally, at least as far as the level of organization is concerned, I think you have already reached this status...

"No, it is not something we are thinking about too much at the moment. In the future I do not rule out that, when we are ready to take another step, it could happen, but in the short term it will not be at the center of our thoughts. On the organization, we are really happy to have ASO by our side: they are really very professional and we work really well together with them".

A few years ago Thor (Hushovd, ed.) had mentioned to me the possibility of bringing the Arctic Race of Norway to the Svalbard Islands: is this something you are still thinking about?

"It would be really fantastic and I know that, before I arrived, there were some projects about it, but now the organizational costs have risen quite a bit and so I don't think it is something that can be realized in the short term. It certainly remains a dream because, as I said before, in these parts we must distinguish ourselves to be noticed and going to Svalbard in this sense could help us, but it is a really difficult project to implement".

For next year, have you already sketched out the route and thought about where to start the race?

"Yes, it is something we plan well in advance using a rotation system between the counties: having three of them (Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, ed.) in northern Norway, every three years we try to visit them all by moving our structures. Next year therefore we will be in another area of northern Norway".

"So in 2027 it should be Finnmark's turn again..."

"That seems like an excellent intuition to me".

Photo credit: ARN/Morten Brøndmo