Having retired from racing at the end of the 2025 season, Alexander Kristoff has been appointed as the new race director for the men’s and women’s Tour of Norway, with hopes to revive the races for the 2027 season.
The men’s and women’s Tours of Norway were cancelled for 2026 following significant cuts to funding after the Norwegian government withdrew its financial support for the stage races.
Race organisers Fjords Cycling received a boost in investment from Sparebankstiftelsen SR-Bank of two million kroner (€267,000), enabling them to plan the resurrection of both the men’s and women’s races.
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“The support is absolutely crucial for us,” said Fjords Cycling CEO Ron Hegreberg in a press release.
“It makes it possible to strengthen the team at Fjords Cycling for the next three years, so that we can continue our work of organising professional cycling races in Norway for some of the world's best riders, both women and men.”
Kristoff officially begins his new role on June 1 and will be responsible for working with teams and sponsors and helping to design the race course. However, the four-time Tour de France stage winner’s first priority will be to work to see the races return in 2027.
The Norwegian was previously appointed as the Tour of Norway’s ambassador at the start of this year. He won the race overall in 2019 and claimed 11 stages during his career. He retired at the end of 2025 after three years racing with Uno-X Mobility.
“The Tour of Norway has been a highlight throughout my active career, and especially when we rode in Stavanger, which is truly my home turf,” Kristoff said.
“We have a unique race in fantastic surroundings, with people living along the course, which we will work hard to bring back in 2027. I look forward to being part of the team that organises the Tour of Norway."
The men’s race was established in 2012, while the women’s race initially ran between 2014 and 2021 before being relaunched in 2025 under the Fjords Cycling umbrella.
The 2025 edition of the men’s race was won by Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike), while other previous winners include Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Axel Laurance (Netcompany-Ineos) and Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep). The 2025 edition of the women’s race was won by Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility).
