Uno-X Mobility have confirmed the first complete team for the 2025 Tour de France, with their eight-man line-up announced 19 days before the Grand Départ in Lille. The Norwegian team will race its third Tour without Alexander Kristoff, choosing instead to field a youthful, aggressive squad focused on stage wins and long-range moves.
Søren Wærenskjold and Stian Fredheim will share sprint duties, while Tobias Halland Johannessen and Anders Halland Johannessen arrive in career-best form. Magnus Cort, Jonas Abrahamsen, Markus Hoelgaard, and Andreas Leknessund round out a versatile selection that sports director Gabriel Rasch says is built “to shape the stages, not just follow wheels.”
Kristoff’s omission drew immediate attention. The 37-year-old had hoped to start his 12th and final Tour before retiring at the end of the season. But despite a win at the Vuelta a Andalucía and podiums in Turkey and Norway, he was left out.
Speaking to TV2.no, Kristoff admitted he was “a little disappointed,” but accepted the call. “We had a good chat. There’s no bad feeling between us. I understand how they think. But it’s disappointing not to get my last Tour.”
Photo Credit: GettyGeneral manager Thor Hushovd called it “the hardest selection we’ve ever made.” The decision to leave Kristoff out, he said, reflected the team’s forward-looking strategy. “He absolutely deserved a final Tour appearance,” Hushovd said. “But we’ve chosen Søren as our main sprinter. He’s shown he can win against the best. Together with Fredheim, who’s made real progress, they form a promising duo.”
Fredheim’s inclusion is one of the clearest signs of that generational shift. The 22-year-old took his first pro win at La Route Adélie de Vitré and confirmed his place in the team with a fourth-place sprint at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Hushovd said he offers consistency on tougher sprint stages and noted that Wærenskjold trusts him “100%.”
Elsewhere, the Halland Johannessen twins bring climbing and GC strength. Tobias was fifth overall at the Dauphiné, while Anders won the Tour of Slovenia. Both will make their Tour de France debuts together. Leknessund, fresh from a strong Giro, adds further depth in the mountains, and Cort brings Tour stage-winning pedigree and tactical sharpness to breakaway days.
There’s also a first Tour appearance for Markus Hoelgaard, and Jonas Abrahamsen returns as a key engine for aggressive moves, having built a reputation as one of the most tenacious attackers in the peloton.
Frederik Dversnes, winner of a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico, also missed out. He hinted that his wedding this Friday may have played a role in the decision, but Hushovd dismissed any suggestion that personal plans influenced selection. “It hasn’t in any way, shape or form contributed to the decision. This is an overall assessment.”
Uno-X are not targeting the general classification, but their line-up points clearly to a team aiming to animate the race from the first week through to Paris. “We want to be in the mix every day,” said Rasch. “This team is made for it.”
Uno-X Mobility’s 2025 Tour de France line-up
- Tobias Halland Johannessen
- Anders Halland Johannessen
- Jonas Abrahamsen
- Magnus Cort
- Stian Fredheim
- Markus Hoelgaard
- Andreas Leknessund
- Søren Wærenskjold
