News

It is with a heavy heart that we unfortunately have to announce the termination of Scandinavia’s only World Tour stage race for cycling, the Tour of Scandinavia. It has been a fantastic journey with many magical moments, both in terms of sports and organization, but after careful consideration, we acknowledge that we have reached the end of the road.

The decision was made at an extraordinary general meeting a few days ago. It was also decided to dissolve the parent company, Ladies Tour of Norway AS, which holds the rights to the World Tour race. This means that a final full stop has been set for the greatest, annual cycling race ever in Norway, measured by sporting level and international media distribution.

After last year’s cancellation, hard work has been done since last summer to revive the World Tour race. We were well into the preparations with both the race concept, host municipalities, and not least international TV distribution, which looks very impressive and is in place.

However, we must acknowledge that we have not succeeded in building a brand that is attractive enough to media, sponsors, and other important stakeholders in Norway. There are no national TV channels in Norway, like NRK and Tv2, who wish to distribute the race on TV despite us covering all production costs.
Without national TV coverage, sponsors, and a federation lacking enthusiasm to support the World Tour race at home, it becomes difficult to establish a sustainable financial platform and create the enthusiasm needed, both internally and externally, to deliver a professional cycling race at the top level.

Our vision has been to “Create Excitement.” Together with our valued partners, we’ve managed to achieve this on both an international scale and within our host municipalities.

We have dared to be innovative and have been an important driver for the development of international women’s cycling. We are proud of what we have created and happy to be remembered as one of the best and most recognized races on the women’s World Tour race calendar.

We want to thank all our loyal partners, participating teams, riders, public authorities, including roads and police, all host municipalities, and especially our race organization and the 1,200 volunteers who have stepped up over the years and made it possible to deliver a cycling festival. The unity and joy we have experienced together around the cycling race will always remain fond memories.

We also want to extend a big thank you to the international cycling federation UCI for dedicated and professional support during the start-up and growth of the race and for showing great patience and understanding in our attempt to revive the race.

We wish everyone who loves cycling the best of luck with this year’s season.

For us, we are bowing out at the top.

Thank you for the party.

By The Liquidation Board of Ladies Tour of Norway:
Jørn Berg,
Sigmund Larsen,
Bjørn Erik Tuv,
Kim Atle Svensen,
Roy Moberg (Chairman)

For any further information, please contact:
Roy Moberg,
Chairman,
Ladies Tour of Norway AS
Email: roy@lton.no
Mobile: +47 906 49 339

Dear Friends of Tour of Scandinavia,

This week was anticipated to be a significant moment in our cycling calendar, as we would have been preparing for this year’s Tour of Scandinavia. In a typical scenario, we would have welcomed a majority of the World Tour teams in the coming days, laying the groundwork for the race set to commence this Thursday.

Our dedicated partners, host cities, organizing committee, team leaders, and our wonderful volunteers would have been in full operational mode, finalizing preparations for the event. We were, as always, looking forward to hosting the international cycling community and the media here in Norway as well, as it is always a pleasure to welcome you.

The planned stages for this year’s race route were as follows:

• Thursday, August 29th: Askim – Mysen
• Friday, August 30th: Moss – Sarpsborg
• Saturday, August 31st: Drammen – Kongsberg
• Sunday, September 1st: Strömstad – Halden

This year would have marked our first stage finish in Kongsberg, about which we were particularly excited about. We had envisioned an exhilarating and new start in Moss, followed by visits to many of our well-known and beloved stages in the Østfold region of Norway. We felt confident that we had a compelling race on paper.

Financial struggle
It is important for us to emphasize that all our state, regional, and local subsidies were in place as per our budget, and all our host cities were ready and eager for our arrival. However, we are unable to proceed with the race without a sufficient number of private sponsors and additional funding to complement our official subsidies. Unfortunately, due to a shortage of sponsors leading into the summer, we had no alternative but to cancel this year’s edition.

Following the cancellation, we have devoted considerable time to ensure a robust cooperation and communication with the UCI and our local federation. We have also secured public subsidies for the future, which positions us well for a successful continuation into 2025.

However – it brings us great pleasure to share that we have successfully maintained all our planned cycling activities for children in 2024. Our Summer Cycling Schools, in collaboration with Green Cycling and the Tour of Norway for Kids, are continuing as scheduled throughout the summer.

In addition, as an Eco-Lighthouse certified organization with a strong commitment to sustainability and waste management, we are delighted to report that our mobile waste container – developed specifically to enhance our environmental initiatives and reduce litter, has been actively touring Norway at various festivals, concerts, and events this summer. It is encouraging to see that other event organizations can also benefit from our commitment to sustainability.

While there are still areas that require attention in terms of sponsorship, we are committed to addressing these matters as we approach the end of this year. We are pleased to announce that we have already secured our spot in the World Tour calendar for 2025, and we eagerly anticipate the return of riders, teams, international press, and the broader cycling community to Norway next year.

Warm regards,
on behalf of the entire organization committee, team leaders and voluntaries in Norway

Marius Jorgensen
Managing Director
Tour of Scandinavia Organizing Committee

Regrettably, this year’s edition of the World Tour race, Tour of Scandinavia, has been cancelled due to insufficient funding. However, efforts are underway to restructure the race concept with the aim of returning strengthened in 2025 with a new race concept at the World Tour level.

With heavy hearts, the board, together with shareholders and management, have concluded that it is unfortunately not feasible to organize Tour of Scandinavia this year. Intensive efforts have been made in recent weeks to try to find solutions to ensure a financial basis for conducting the race, but we must acknowledge that we have not succeeded. There is a shortfall of approximately 3 MNOK needed to achieve financial balance, and it would be irresponsible to plan for execution this year.

Technically, the World Tour race was on track to be held from August 29th. to September 1st. As part of the World Tour week, it was also planned to organize last year’s successful innovation, the Nordic Youth Challenge, a youth race for women. Unfortunately, these events will not take place now, but we plan to continue with some local events such as Summer Cycling School in collaboration with Green Cycling and Tour of Norway for Kids as usual where possible, and if the host municipalities are still willing.

By halting this year’s World Tour race now, we reduce the loss associated with this year’s event and provide predictability for all our partners related to the race. It also frees up time and energy to work on restructuring both the company and the race concept in order to develop a sustainable event at the World Tour level for 2025. The application for World Tour status in 2025 is already in place, which means that we maintain our status as a World Tour race and retain the highest ranking among races in Norway.

Currently, we are actively engaged in the design of exciting and scenic route options for next year, although some pieces of the puzzle still need to fall into place.

Significant efforts are being made to establish a robust, long-term financing model through strategic partnerships, in addition to the public grants that form the foundation of our funding. This endeavor encompasses both national and international alliances, as Tour of Scandinavia enjoys prestigious status abroad

For any further questions:

Marius Jørgensen
Managing Director, Ladies Tour of Norway AS
E-mail: marius@lton.no
Phone: +47 959 94 909

When 2023 is now winding down, an era in Ladies Tour of Norway / Tour of Scandinavia’s history is also coming to an end – as the founder and managing director since its inception in 2014, and the man and brain behind it all, Roy Moberg, now chooses to step down as the managing director of Ladies Tour of Norway AS.

We have been given permission to share an email that Roy has written to some selected colleagues and partners in connection with his resignation as managing director, and the contents of this email can be found below:

Dear all cycling friends and partners,

There is a time for everything.

I informed the board in September that I wish to step down as the managing director of Ladies Tour of Norway AS, effective from the new year.

Now we are almost there, and I want to send a personal thank you and greeting to some of you who have followed me on the journey to where we are today.

It has been an incredible journey since we, ten years ago, took on the challenge of organizing a UCI race for women in Norway based in Halden. It had been over 30 years since the last one, and we literally started from scratch with no experience and no money.

I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams that we would end up becoming one of the world’s largest and most renowned World Tour races for women. With over 16 million TV viewers globally, only the Tour de France Femmes can boast better TV ratings on the women’s World Tour calendar in 2023. Few in Norway are aware of how significant we have become.

It is with a certain pride that I feel we have also been an important contributor to the development of international women’s cycling over the past 10 years. We set the standard early, have been innovative and quality-conscious, and have gained recognition and respect all the way up to the top management of the UCI.

We have been spoiled with the world’s best cyclists visiting us every year. We have not only created a top international cycling race but also an atmosphere and a framework around the event that makes many want to be a part of us and brings the world’s elite back year after year, providing personal feedback on how much they enjoy being in Norway. As a resident of Halden, I must also say that it has been especially fun to create a race and a local atmosphere around the event in my own hometown that is praised by the world’s best riders.

Even though we have achieved a lot, it is not what I will remember most from my 10 years as the founder and leader of the race. It is the relationships with all of you I have worked with that create lasting and good memories. The magical moments we have created, the tough decisions we have faced, the way we shared frustration and solved small and large challenges, and especially all of you who have supported us and cheered us on over the years as partners, host municipalities, and more. A special thanks to those who believed in us and who have been with us from the very beginning, you know who you are.

Organizing a World Tour cycling race is extreme sport in logistics and perfectionism. Year after year, we have invested in building a professional race technical organization, but we are still primarily based on voluntary efforts. When Anders raises the flag and signals the start of the race, and throughout the day, I experience the well-oiled machinery, it moves me. Arena rigging, guards, MC marshals, police, commissioners, timekeepers, medical personnel, the sound of helicopters and TV production, VIP procession and caravan along the route, announcer and prize-giving, media, catering, VIP trailer, and all side events that create a perfect framework for our race week. There is so much expertise, experience, and passion behind it, and we are just as dependent on each of you to deliver. You are 1300 employees who make this possible, and I am equally proud of all of you. It’s incredible how far you can take a project based on volunteerism when you have the right people around you. I will miss all of you.

I have given 10 years of my free time, but I do not regret a day. I have learned a lot, gained a lot, and also given a lot of myself. It has been demanding, inspiring, and engaging to lead and develop our race concept to where it is today. I have faced challenges that I never thought would be possible or necessary to spend time on in our time, but there is a lot of learning in that too.

It has been a maturation process for me to come to the conclusion that I want to step down as the managing director. I feel that it is in many ways entirely right, not only for me but also for the further development of the race. International women’s cycling has evolved enormously in recent years, and there are high demands on us as race organizers. I have combined the role of managing director with a top leadership job that requires 150% time and focus. I no longer believe it is sufficient to have a managing director who performs the job in their spare time. It has been important for me to be able to hand over the company with a solid financial foundation that allows for the engagement of a full-time leader. We have become so significant that the race deserves a managing director who can continuously work on this during the day.

I am pleased that the board has appointed Marius Jørgensen as the new managing director. Marius has experience as an arena manager and has been part of our organizing committee since 2015. Marius knows the race’s development, challenges, and potential and has a burning commitment to take it further. For more information regarding the appointment of the new managing director, please see the attached press release from board chairman Andreas Lervik.

Thanks to the board and all of you who have been an important part of my team, and special thanks to Gry who has allowed me to do this for 10 years. I understand that it has not always been as fun to have a man who, after a long work week, perhaps even with many days of travel, uses weekends to work on a cycling race.

I wish Marius and all of you the best of luck and promise to be available if you need a good chat.

Thanks for the cooperation, thanks for the experiences and all the memories, and thanks for me as the managing director.

I take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in August for sure 😊

Best regards Roy Moberg

The managing director of Ladies Tour of Norway AS (LToN), Roy Moberg, is stepping down as the managing director of LToN at the turn of the year.

– We naturally regret this, says Andreas Lervik, chairman of LToN, but we understand that considerations for family and the company where he serves as a group director must take precedence.

Roy Moberg has been not only passionate about cycling but also about creating a fantastic community around the events. He has transformed it from being a smaller category 2.2 race based in Halden in 2014 to a World Tour-level race with stages also outside Norway. As an organizer, Roy, in addition to being the managing director of Tour of Scandinavia, has also organized many great side events such as summer cycling schools and sustainability seminars, as well as youth races and children’s races.
– We have everything to thank Roy for,” says Lervik, wishing him the best for the future.

As the new managing director of LToN, the board has appointed Marius Jørgensen. – In Marius, we have gained a managing director who knows our organization and has the desire and enthusiasm to further develop LToN.

– It is with the deepest respect and humility that I take over as the managing director of LToN. Roy Moberg, together with the organizing committee and our partners, has shaped an exceptional race that enjoys great recognition both nationally and internationally, says Jørgensen.

– I am determined to carry on this legacy,” he says before concluding that he believes LTON should dare to explore new and larger horizons. With eight years of experience from the race and an in-depth knowledge of the organization, I am confident that we can build on the established foundation we already have,” concludes Jørgensen.

For further comments/questions, please contact:
Andreas Lervik – Chairman of the board LToN – mobile +47 934 34 698
Marius Jørgensen – Managing Director LToN – mobile +47 959 94 909

Tour of Scandinavia smashed all previous records in terms of international TV distribution. The World Tour race for women has close to 17 million viewers in total when you include both linear and digital broadcast surfaces. – With the big international stars attending and an ever-increasing international attention to women’s cycling, we have a product that achieves fabulously good TV figures, says managing director Roy Moberg.

– This year’s media report from Tour of Scandinavia is now ready and despite less linear air time than in 2022, viewing figures are increasing sharply. Through Discovery’s various platforms, we have very good international distribution, and we see that the digital platforms in particular are popular, says Moberg.

– We benefit from the fact that we have the entire world elite in place and deliver one of the best World Tour rides in the world with top TV production, exciting stages and great scenery. It was also a media scoop that we managed to get the legend Annemiek van Vleuten to end her career with us.

– We had almost 30% less airtime on Eurosport’s linear channels compared to last year, but still increased the number of viewers by around 15%. If we include all digital platforms, the increase is 30%, says Moberg. – This shows that our market share, especially in digital media, continues to grow strongly, which we are very pleased with, says Moberg.

– This is TV figures that far exceeds the men’s cycling races in Norway and that compares well with most of what is broadcast by international sports events in Norway. At the same time, it is a great paradox that the Norwegian media, including the cycling channel Tv2, are completely absent when it comes to the coverage of our event. It is a challenge we have to solve for the future. Without national media coverage, there is no room for a World Tour cycling race in Norway. It’s that simple, concludes Moberg.

A successful Tour of Scandinavia 2023 is now history, and after taking a moment to reflect and step out of the “bubble,” it’s appropriate to provide a brief summary of this year’s event.

As known, the Tour of Scandinavia isn’t just the cycling race itself; it also numerous side events that are part of our race concept. The race week began with the Green Summer Cycling School at Fredriksten Fortress in Halden, organized by our long-time partner, Green Cycling. Unfavorable weather conditions on Sunday morning may have contributed to lower participation, but the weather cleared up later in the morning, and those who attended had a fun and educational day focused on enjoying cycling and mastering it in various situations.

On Monday, we arranged the “Sustainability Seminar” in collaboration with Viken County Council. During just over three hours in Byparken in Halden, invited guests, partners, and others interested were given informative insights from several exciting speakers on how sustainability is taken seriously and developed in various cultural and sports events.

Tuesday was the big prelude day, with the Nordic Youth Challenge Kick-off for its participants, and a Get2gether evening in Halden square, featuring various cultural performances. The Tour of Norway for kids was also arranged in the afternoon, with enthusiastic participation from kids of all ages.

Wednesday was the first race day, with start at stage 1 in “Norway’s answer to Tuscany” – Mysen. Our good friends in Indre Østfold, had planned a packed program in the morning as a warm-up to the afternoon start. It included a breakfast seminar, city tours, the Green Summer Cycling School for elementary schools, business seminars, Tour of Norway for kids, and lively activities downtown before the start.

The 1. stage was nearly 125 km and followed familiar roads from previous stages of Ladies Tour of Norway/Tour of Scandinavia. The finish was in Halden, and it featured a challenging conclusion with several local circuits in the city center and a climb to Fredriksten Fortress on each circuit. Despite the demanding climbs, the field arrived relatively intact at the finish line. In the end, Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes from Team SD Worx emerged as the fastest in the sprint, closely followed by Elisa Balsamo from Lidl-Trek and last year’s overall winner, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig from FDJ-Suez.

Before the finish in Halden, the “Nordic Youth Challenge” was arranged at the same time, a criterium race for girls aged 15-18 from all the Nordic countries, in collaboration with Like Muligheter, Thon Hotels, Viken County Council, and Halden municipality. This youth race was open to all and aimed to encourage increased participation among girls. Approximately 20 girls participated, and in the end, Mia Kronheim Gjertsen and Matilde Skjelde shared the victory in the women’s junior category, while Regine Solhaug Hansen claimed victory in the 15-16-year-old category. Feedback from participants, parents, and support staff about the event was overwhelmingly positive, and we hope to continue organizing it in the years to come.

On Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, the circus moved to Vikersund for the start of stage 2. The 150 km stage 2 featured many familiar roads from previous years, but the ascent to Norefjell this time had a different twist. Instead of climbing the 1-mile ascent from Noresund to Norefjell, riders had to take a route via Eggedal to reach the backside just before the top of the usual climb. There was great anticipation to see if last year’s overall winner, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, could repeat her stage win from last year. Despite a close battle with Annemiek van Vleuten from Team Movistar right up to the final meters, Ludwig demonstrated her climbing prowess once again on Norefjell. Kim Cadzow from Team Jumbo-Visma took third place, just 2 seconds behind the winner.

Stage 3 introduced two entirely new start- and finish cities: Kongsberg and Larvik. The stage began in pouring rain from Kongsberg on Friday morning, and despite the bad weather, it was heartwarming to see the large crowd that turned out to witness the start. The 135 km stage was hilly in many places, and with the challenging weather of wind and rain, it proved to be a tough stage for many. Nonetheless, it came down to a sprint finish. The winner of stage 1, Lorena Wiebes, once again showed her sprinting prowess and secured her second stage win of the tour. Liane Lippert from Movistar and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig took the next two places.

The circus then headed to Denmark immediately after the finish, and after flying, taking a ferry, and driving many miles by car and bus, we arrived in Herning in southern Denmark, ready for the individual time trial the following day. The 16,5 km course, starting and finishing in Herning city center, was mostly flat, but had technical sections within the city that challenged the riders. At the end, Australian rider Grace Brown from FDJ-Suez proved to be the strongest with a winning time of 20:36, nearly 20 seconds ahead of Amber Kraak from Team Jumbo-Visma, and 23 seconds ahead of Annemiek van Vleuten from Movistar.

Even though the race itself had moved to Denmark, there were still some side events left in Norway. In Kulåsparken in Sarpsborg, the Green Summer Cycling School, organized by Green Cycling, was arranged, followed by Tour of Norway for kids. Both events with good participation and enthusiastic efforts from all involved.

The concluding stage of this year’s Tour of Scandinavia started in the picturesque town of Middelfart on the island of Fyn. The 144 km course headed south towards Haderslev, following the same roads as last year’s Tour de France. In Haderslev, a local circuit of 7,5 km awaited, to be completed three times. The finish was on top of an 800-meter climb, suggesting potential for significant gaps in the field. And gaps there were. The weather gods decided to open the floodgates during the final laps, creating an exciting conclusion with slippery roads and several crashes. Home favorite Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig was just seconds behind overall leader Annemiek van Vleuten before the final stage. With a victory in the last stage, she could potentially secure the overall win. And Cille did not disappoint her home fans. She crossed the finish line first in the challenging climb to the finish, to the wild delight of the spectators. But the question remained: would she win by enough seconds to take the overall victory? After some nervous moments following the finish, the judges calculated that Cecilie was just 2 seconds too late to claim the overall victory. Thus, it was superstar and veteran Annemiek van Vleuten who took the yellow jersey and the trophy of this year’s Tour of Scandinavia. She had announced beforehand that this would be her last international WorldTour race before retiring, making this victory a fitting end to a brilliant career.

You can see an overview of the different jersey winners here,

and complete results for all stages can be found here.

All in all, we can say we are very pleased with this year’s Tour of Scandinavia. The event went as planned, and fortunately, there were no major accidents during the race. Some crashes are inevitable, but thankfully, none were severe. The feedback from the UCI was also positive, so we can be satisfied. Now, it’s time to rest on our laurels for a little while before the work for next year’s race begins again.

Photo: Eventfotografene and Kjetil Birkedal Pedersen

There has been some changes in the broadcast plan, so this will be the updated hours for the remaining stages:
(Click on the picture for larger view)

This year, it will be possible to follow the race live all the way on all stages.
There is created a Live Tracker link which will be updated throughout all stages.

You will find the link by clicking on the live tracker icon on the top of the front page, or by clicking this link:

https://racecenter.battleofthenorth.eu/

It is also possible to download an app to follow the Live Tracker.

Link to app:

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cloud.helmuga.tourofscandinavia&hl=en_US
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/es/app/tour-of-scandinavia/id6459883026

Start list for Tour of Scandinavia is now published, and you will find it under the menu point “RESULTS” in the top menu.
You will also find link to the list HERE

There might be some minor changes in the final start list, but this link will anyway always be updated with the latest list.

During the race, you will also find results for each stages on this link, so bookmark it for further updates.