How the top talents performed in 2023: Leknessund's performance explosion at the Giro
Sebastian Lindner
· 29.10.2023
In the team, they also call him "the dog" from time to time. It is not known exactly why Andreas Leknessund is labelled as such by his colleagues. However, the tenacity of the Norwegian, who comes from Tromso, i.e. from the centre of the Arctic Circle, probably plays a major role.
Leknessund showed where his strengths lie by winning his home race, the Arctic Race of Norway, in 2022. He also proved his qualities with several top placings in the junior classifications of various tours - including fifth place in the battle for the white jersey at the Tour de France. In 2023, the Norwegian showed that he may have even more to offer.
Leknessund bites his way into the Giro d'Italia
And he chose a great backdrop for it. In the Giro d'Italia, which was constantly raining, the then 23-year-old chose the 4th stage, the first small mountain arrival at Lago Laceno. After more than 100 kilometres as a breakaway rider, he finished the day in second place. He burst into tears at the finish. But not out of sadness at missing out on the stage win.
Andreas Leknessund had thus ridden into the pink jersey. He defended it for five days, even on the stage up to the Gran Sasso d'Italia. He only had to relinquish it again in the individual time trial. Even after the DSM pro had lost the leader's jersey again, he did not collapse in the overall classification. Even on the toughest mountain stages, he rode side by side with the top athletes of the tour for a long time. His tenacity played a key role in finishing the Giro in eighth place.
Giro the only highlight of Leknessund's season
After the Giro, however, there was no sign of the Norwegian for the rest of the season. In the two stage races for which he was still registered until the end of the season, the Artic Race and the Tour of Guangxi, there is a Did Not start directly after the first stage. In half of the eight one-day races that he still took part in, he did not finish, and in the others - two of them in the national team jersey - he finished well outside the top places.
Leknessund's move to the Norwegian team Uno-X was announced on 1 August, the first day on which transfers are allowed to be published. He came from the Pro Team's development team three years earlier. It is a return to his homeland. It cannot be ruled out that atmospheric disturbances between Leknessund and dsm-firmenich are one of the reasons for the weak second half of the season.
Conclusion: Leknessund will deliver again in 2024
However, consistency is a big issue for young athletes, especially after extreme efforts at the Giro. And even established riders like Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), who missed out on overall victory in the Tour of Italy by just 14 seconds, didn't have much going for them afterwards. The same applies to Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-AlUla), who finished the Giro one second faster than Andreas Leknessund in seventh place.
The Norwegian will have to prove himself again next year in the Norwegian team, which is aiming for promotion to the World Tour. But it's hard to believe that the "dog" was just a flash in the pan.
