He won the Norwegian Cup in cross-country skiing at Lygna in dominant fashion. Then came the pandemic, and the Junior National Championships at Beitostølen 2020 were canceled. When we came out on the other side of the pandemic, he was heading full speed toward the stars – in the “wrong” sport.

Norwegian Per Strand Hagenes from Sandnes is considered one of the biggest engines in the international professional cycling circuit. Already at a young age (21), he has made a name for himself at the top level, riding alongside stars like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Matteo Jørgensen, and others on Visma–Lease a Bike, one of the world’s best professional teams.

But he could just as easily have been a cross-country skier. The junior from Rogaland was also on a path to stardom in that sport. On January 12, 2020, he won the 10km skate race at the Norwegian Cup for juniors at Lygna. Hagenes was nearly half a minute ahead of runner-up Vebjørn Hovdejord. The results list also includes this winter’s U23 World Championship standouts in Schilpario: Mathias Holbæk in 7th place and Thomas Mollebo Linnestad in 16th.

Also Read: Cycling as a training method – How well does it suit a skier?

Quit Skiing – World Champion in Cycling

That race also marked the end of a promising skiing career for the 186cm tall Sandnes native. Instead, he delivered two historic seasons on the bike, and the sport choice became easy after that.

First, he became the Norwegian junior champion in both road racing and time trial in 2020.

Then came the real sport breakthrough: gold in the road race at the Junior World Championships in Leuven, Belgium, in 2021. That same year, he also took silver at the European Championships for juniors.

He was quickly picked up by the top team Visma, which happens to have a Norwegian-owned main sponsor. The team has almost become a colony for young Norwegian cross-country skiing talents.

Johannes Staune-Mittet from Lillehammer came after gold at the junior nationals in cross-country skiing, followed by Jørgen Nordhagen, who went straight from gold at the 2024 Junior World Championships in skiing to becoming a full-time professional cyclist. The team also includes Jonas Kind Høydahl, son of mountain bike star Rune Høydahl, on the development squad.

Read More: Norwegian cross-country talents aim for the stars – in cycling

Supports Jonas Vingegaard

Per Strand Hagenes is currently racing in the top event Critérium du Dauphiné this week. He’s helping Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard in his final preparations for the Tour de France. And the 21-year-old from Sandnes is impressive. He pulls and leads the peloton for kilometers on end.

He’s already had several opportunities with the A-team, including after the 2023 season when he claimed his first big senior victories – such as in the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro in Germany, Ronde van Drenthe in the Netherlands, and a stage in the Four Days of Dunkirk.

Last year, he finished 5th in the grueling World Tour race GP Cycliste de Québec.
Now, he has a contract with Visma–Lease a Bike through 2027.

Team won in the Tour of Norway

Langrenn.com catches up with Per Strand Hagenes on home turf during the Tour of Norway. Once again in a domestique role – this time for 19-year-old rising star Matthew Brennan from Great Britain.

Is he not afraid of missing out on his own chances?

“It’s not that easy when you’re riding with such good riders like him,” says the Norwegian, pointing to Brennan, who won the entire Tour of Norway.

Per Strand Hagenes has already ridden four Classics, twice in Paris–Roubaix and twice in the Tour of Flanders. He is one of the rising stars in international cycling.
But he could have been one in cross-country skiing too…

Also Read: How can Ski Classics Pro Teams learn from cycling teams?

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