Norwegian professional team Uno-X Mobility is hoping to make its third consecutive appearance on the start line of the Tour de France, which starts in Lille next July.
As a second division team, Uno-X Mobility will have to rely on race invitations from organizer ASO; in the UCI team rankings, Israel Premier Tec and Lot Dostny have already secured their places in the 2025 Tour.
Uno-X Mobility, along with Tudor Pro Cycling and Total Energies, will be aiming for one of the final two wild card slots. The final slots for the Tour will be announced in January.
A seven-member delegation from Uno-X Mobility attended the 2025 Tour de France route presentation in Paris on Tuesday. They included five riders, general manager Tor Hushovd, and Ole Robert Reitan, CEO of Reitan Retail, which owns Uno-X Mobility.
“Unfortunately, we have not yet received an invitation. We want to meet ASO, meet the management, meet the organizers, talk to them and show that we are serious about this,” Hushovd told TV2.
Hushovd, a former road racing world champion, was appointed general manager of Uno-X Mobility at the start of the 2024 season. According to Hushovd, representatives of the Swiss Tudor team did not attend the event.
“It was important to be present and visible. 'Very few athletes were present. It shows that we take it seriously and we thank the organizers, the ASO, for that. We are fighting to get this invitation again."
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.” When the ASO organization gets together and sums up this time, they will talk about how Uno-X was here, how the owners were here.
“They were not there, Tudor. I didn't see any humans. I think those things should be addressed,” he added.
Swiss rivals are making big moves in the transfer market to qualify for the 2025 Tour. Tudor, directed by Hushovd's former classic rival Fabian Cancellara, has acquired Julian Alaphilippe from Soudal-Quick Step and Marc Hirschi from UAE Team Emirates. If Tudor is invited, it will be his first entry in the Tour.
Meanwhile, Total Energy has the advantage of being the home team and has participated in every Tour since its creation in 2000.
“The gut feeling is still very good, but we have to take seriously the fact that Tudor has signed two very good riders, Hirschi and Alaphilippe. But at the same time, we had a great season,” Hushovd said.
ASO boss Christian Prudhomme admitted that the 2025 wild card selection was one of the most difficult he had participated in. He told TV2, “Sometimes it's very easy, but not this year.”
“I was impressed [with Uno-X Mobility] and I got several messages from Tor Hushovd,” he added.
Uno-X Mobility performed well at the 2024 Tour, with escape specialist Jonas Abrahamsen wearing the polka-dot jersey from stage 1 to stage 10.
The team's most experienced rider, Alexander Kristoff, an 11-time Tour de France veteran, has won four stages.
“As of today, in a sporting sense, we feel invited,” said the 37-year-old Kristoff.
“It's a bit of a tough fight. Tudor has signed a lot of good riders and we are competing against Total in France.
“It's important in terms of sponsorship and visibility. So it would be a defeat (not to be invited) after being involved for two years."
”It would be a defeat.
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