Team TotalEnergies leaders Niki Terpstra and Edvald Boasson Hagen kick off the final part of their current season at the Arctic Race of Norway still undecided about their rides for 2022 and beyond.
The pair, who – if they re-sign at the French team – will be joined next year by three-time World Champion Peter Sagan and his support team, said at the race that their futures are still undecided despite cycling's transfer window having opened last week on August 1.
Speaking to Cyclingnews following stage 2 of the Arctic Race in Kilpisjärvi, Finland, Boasson Hagen said that he likes the team, but added that the two parties haven't yet agreed an extension to his one-year contract.
"I like Total. It's a good team. It's friendly people, a good team spirit and good organisation. It's really nice," he said. "My plan is to ride my bike and be in the races. I really enjoy the team, but I haven't signed for anyone yet. We are in discussions with some teams and I'm talking to Total. I haven't put a pen down yet but I'm working on it."
Terpstra, at 37 three years Boasson Hagen's elder, offered less in the way of hints about his future plans, simply saying, "I don't know yet. We will see."
Boasson Hagen was speaking off the back of a ninth place on the sprint finish in the remote Finnish village on Friday. The Norwegian was up there in the final 300 metres, taking ninth at the line behind winner, Bora-Hansgrohe's Martin Laas.
You have to go back to last year's Tour de France – where Boasson Hagen finished second on stage 7 to Lavaur – to find a better result on his palmarè, but he wasn't over the moon about it after the finish.
"I was in the mix. It was pretty hectic and difficult with – not a lot of head wind – but it was easy to stay on the wheels and then you get in the wind, so a lot of people came in reverse with the lead out.
"It was pretty hectic to not crash into people but at least it was nice to have a top 10. It was nice to at least be in the fight and the team has been good both days. It was not a good result, but it was something."
Terpstra isn't at the race with sprint wins in mind, but is instead building up to a fight for glory at Paris-Roubaix in October, a race he won back in 2014 – "a special race", he said. He was welcoming of Sagan, himself a Roubaix winner four years later, saying that he was pleased to see how the status of the ProTeam is only improving.
"It's very special for the team to have a big champion coming like him. It's nice to see the team getting a better level year by year and it's nice to be part of that."