On Saturday, the cycling team Uno-X published the riding list for this year’s season, and there it emerged that the Norwegian team will participate in the Tour of Saudi, Tour of Oman and World Tour in the United Arab Emirates. In the World Tour, only the women’s team competes. Jonas Lindstrøm thinks little of those choices. He is currently the host of the cycling magazine’s podcast “Gruppo Compatto”. – I don’t like it. It does not harmonize with the values that the company, and thus the company, promotes and beats itself to the chest with. They are part of the sports laundry, and in addition the cycling fans who will cheer for them during the Tour de France, are in an uncomfortable position, says Lindstrøm to news. RIDE LIST: This is the ride Uno-X will ride before the classics start. Photo: GRAPHICS: Geir Jone Karlsen / news Responds strongly Lindstrøm calls the rides “small” and “backward”, and highlights many other alternatives that Uno-X could have chosen. NOT AS GLAD: Jonas Lindstrøm, here from the podcast studio. Photo: Privat – There are no cyclists in Norway who dream of winning a stage in the Tour of Saudi, he says and asserts: – You don’t become a better rider by participating in the race, and there aren’t that many ranking points to be won . There are many other cycling races elsewhere in the world that they could have chosen, and that would have given the riders a good match. This was not a choice they had to make, says Lindstrøm. – So why do they do it? – The Tour of Saudi has the same organizer as the Tour de France, and it is probably quite well-founded in the management of Uno-X that you get much more from being on good terms with the organizers there, than negative publicity by participating in the Tour of Saudi and others ride in the Middle East. He believes that Uno-X should have stood its ground. – I absolutely think they should have said no and taken the tiny risk. They should be so proud of their concept, values and history that they had tolled it, instead of being so cowardly and playing as safe as they do now, he says. Day-to-day manager of Uno X, Jens Haugland, tells news that the cycling team has decided that it is better to be present and promote the team’s values than to boycott. That makes Lindstrøm frown. – I am very excited to hear what effect they think they will achieve down there. Now we have just come across a football World Cup and what is possibly communicated through it probably has a little more impact than what little Uno X manages to achieve, he says. Dismissing the criticism, Jens Haugland, who is the day-to-day manager of Uno-X, believes that it is not the team’s responsibility to answer whether they participated in sports laundering. STANDING FOR THE ELECTION: Daily leader, Jens Haugland. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB – It is in line with our values to stand for the choices we make, even the difficult ones. We think it is more correct to participate than not to participate. Our female riders will ride a professional women’s race in the United Arab Emirates next month – I think this is a small but nice step in the right direction, says Haugland to news. In response to the criticism from Lindstrøm about what they wish to achieve by traveling to Saudi Arabia, Haugland replies this: – I am trying to talk openly about a difficult issue with our state channel – that in itself gives the matter considerable attention. We promote our values by being a profiled cycling team from Scandinavia with visible values, such as the same sporting scheme and conditions for our female and male cyclists. I am proud of our teams and our people, he says. He believes that the sporting reason is about good matching. – We performed very well in the race last year and it was a very good sporting experience for several of our young riders, where we among other things won a stage in the Tour of Oman. The team is united behind this participation, and I have full confidence that our sporting management knows what is right to do with regard to sporting benefits. Both for our male and female professionals, he says. He denies that the election has any impact on the team’s chances of participating in the Tour de France. – It is cowardly if one does not stand for the choices we make. We stand by our choices and have never said it has been easy. We try to have a good and orderly relationship with all organizers on the international riding calendar. Every single ride we ride is a special choice we make ourselves, says Haugland.
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– Not a choice they had to make – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
