Uno-X Mobility general manager Thor Hushovd has admitted that his team are interested in two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, but said that the Dane's wage demands would currently be too high for the Scandinavian team.
The squad has grown quickly and emerged as a real force this year, their first in the WorldTour, with stages at all three Grand Tours. It's no surprise that they would be interested in the biggest riders from Denmark and Norway, the two countries which make up their roster.
Hushovd said that signing Vingegaard or former world champion Mads Pedersen would be "a dream".
"When you’re asked if you’d like to sign Jonas Vingegaard or Mads Pedersen for the team, it’s a dream. I’d say yes, but I reckon every other team would have said the same. It’s impossible to say no," Hushovd told Norwegian broadcaster TV2's Sykkelpodden podcast.
The former Tour de France green jersey winner, who joined Uno-X as general manager in 2024, added that he has technically been in contact with Vingegaard. However, his admission hardly confirmed anything as concrete as contract talks.
"You speak to lots of people in the cycling world. It’s a small community. So yes, we have," he said, giving little away.
Earlier this year, Uno-X racer Magnus Cort told Viaplay that Uno-X would be Vingegaard's first port of call if he were to leave Visma-Lease a Bike.
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"He always says that if he were ever to leave Visma, it would be for Uno-X. So it’s not completely impossible, but it probably won’t be easy," he said.
Vingegaard's Visma contract runs to the end of 2028, and he has never indicated he plans to leave the Dutch squad.
That aside, Uno-X's main stumbling block would be the Dane's high salary, said to be in the region of €5 million, a quarter of the team's entire reported budget.
"What I’m not keen on when it comes to bringing Vingegaard on board is paying his salary. It’s quite substantial. But what might be possible would be to bring in a Danish firm or company that wants to establish ties with Norway," Hushovd said.
A hypothetical future Uno-X team with Vingegaard on board would also naturally force a sea change in how the squad approaches races. Currently, the team is known for their aggressive racing style with a heavy focus on breakaways and chances for every rider.
The team would undoubtedly race to greater successes, though their ethos would have to change, something Hushovd doesn't sound keen on for now.
"I know that Jonas Vingegaard would like to ride for Uno-X. There are many riders who would like to do so. We’re seen as an attractive and exciting team. But at the same time, I think it takes the edge off a bit that we’re focusing on more riders and riding offensively," Hushovd said.
"If we’d had Jonas Vingegaard in the Vuelta a España, I don’t think we’d have ridden like that. Nor do I think we’d have won two stages the way we did – and all that sort of thing."
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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor before being hired full-time. Her favourite races include the Paris-Roubaix, Tour de France Femmes, Tro-Bro Léon, and cycling's fourth Grand Tour, the Volta a Portugal.
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