Jumbo-Visma have signed up highly-rated teenager and first-year junior Jørgen Nordhagen on a multi-year deal, as they continue to invest in ever-younger riders and build for the long-term future.
The 17-year-old Norwegian, who combines racing with cross-country skiing, has impressed at junior level this season and will move on to Jumbo-Visma's development team in 2024 before heading to the WorldTour on a three-year contract in 2025.
Jumbo-Visma are one of several teams signing talented junior riders and helping them turn professional while still teenagers. Juan Ayuso joined UAE Team Emirates from the junior ranks as did the USA's Quinn Simmons after winning the junior world title in 2019. Remco Evenepoel famously joined QuickStep aged 18 after winning both the junior time trial and road race world title in 2018.
This year, Nordhagen has taken second places at the GP Rüebliland stage race and the European Championships junior road race as well as third places at the Course de la Paix and the LVM Saarland Trofeo.
He's the current Norwegian junior time trial champion and also holds two national cross-country skiing titles.
Nordhagen might not be joining Jumbo-Visma for three seasons but the WorldTour team has already made a number of signings for 2023 as they look to repeat their Tour de France and Classics success.
Wilco Kelderman joins from Bora-Hansgrohe to strengthen their GC squad alongside Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious) and Attila Valter (Groupama-FDJ), while Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) bolsters their Classics team and neo-pro Thomas Gloag is a future stage racing prospect.
Nordhagen is the latest long-term signing for Jumbo-Visma, with fellow Norwegian Johannes Staune-Mittet set to step-up to WorldTour level in 2024, while Ireland's
Archie Ryan will have a leading role at the the Jumbo-Visma development team in 2023 after a successful 2022 and a professional victory at the Tour of Slovakia.
"Here, I get the time and room to grow as a person and become a pro rider," Nordhagen said.
"That has always been my dream, and it will come true in a few years. I'm really looking forward to it. Because I have already decided to transfer to Jumbo-Visma after my junior season, I can continue to develop in peace and quiet and focus on my sporting goals.
"I think the team and I make a strong match because, based on my first impressions, the team and I have the same mindset. It's also good to meet my fellow countrymen Tobias Foss, Per Strand Hagenes, and Johannes Staune-Mittet. I've heard positive things about the team from them."
Nordhagen said that he would continue to combine cycling and skiing in future, noting that he hopes to continue doing both for as long as possible.
"I'll keep combining cycling with cross-country skiing in the upcoming seasons. I want to continue that combination for as long as I can. It is a terrific workout that helps me train and develop my entire physique."
Jumbo-Visma head of development Robbert de Groot said that Nordhagen is an "exceptional talent", noting that the team can offer "tailor-made solutions" for his development in the coming seasons.
"The fact that we are embarking on such a trajectory with such a young rider is quite special. We see exceptional talent in Jorgen. He is a highly motivated boy who seeks a training program where he feels he can improve.
"The fact that he already knows where his future allows him to concentrate on training, competing and developing. We both feel that he will fit in perfectly with us. To achieve full development, we provide long-term pathways like this. We firmly hold that belief. It fits perfectly with the cooperation we are beginning with Jorgen.
"We are looking for an optimal balance between training and competition development. We can offer tailor-made solutions to talent over a long period because of the collaboration between our development team and the World Tour team."
