A homecoming as Andreas Leknessund signs for Uno-X

Andreas Leknessund will join Uno-X next season after signing a three-year contract that will keep him at the Norwegian team until the end of 2026.

The move marks something of a homecoming for Leknessund, who spent three years the Uno-X development team before stepping up to the WorldTour with DSM in 2021.

Leknessund quickly showed his quality in DSM colours. He claimed a fine breakaway victory in Aesch at the 2022 Tour de Suisse and the Trømso native went on to claim overall victory at the Arctic Race of Norway later in the summer.

The highpoint of the Norwegian’s career to date came at this year’s Giro d’Italia, where he moved into the pink jersey after placing second at Lago Laceno on stage 4. He would hold the lead for five days, and he climbed strongly throughout the rest of the Giro to reach Rome in eighth place overall.

The arrival of Leknessund, who only turned 24 in May, adds a new dimension to Uno-X as a stage racing team. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Uno-X announced the signing of Magnus Cort from EF Education-EasyPost, with the Dane’s arrival set to boost their prospects of gaining wildcard selections to the biggest races and their chances of eventually earning promotion to the WorldTour.

The existing Uno-X roster already includes Alexander Kristoff, Torstein Træen and Søren Wærenskjold, and the ambitious outfit made its Tour de France debut in July.