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