Despite being on many people’s list of riders who would definitely be on the Team Sky roster for next month’s Tour de France, Kurt Asle Arvesen has missed out. Aside from his obvious disappointment, the Norwegian champion understands the reasons why he was passed over for the season’s biggest race.
“I saw my chances of getting into the Tour team as 50/50,” Arvesen told Norwegian news agency NTB, “My goal was to get myself into shape for the Tour through the National Championship races in Trøndelag, but it was not to be.”
After breaking his collarbone in stage two of the Tour of Qatar, while still in the neutralised zone, the 34-year-old has struggled with knee problems and has been unable to find form. Most recently he withdrew from last week’s Tour of Switzerland on the penultimate day, suffering with stomach problems, never having featured in the race.
“They have chosen to include a rider who is much better than me in the mountains,” he said of Belgian Serge Pauwels, who is said to have taken the place that might have been Arvesen’s, “and I can understand that as Wiggins will need all the help he can get in the steepest sections. I have simply not had a good enough season this year; and all that has happened with my collarbone break, my knee problems and stomach problems in Switzerland recently, has not shown me in a very positive light.”
Having previously ridden for Bjarne Riis’ Team CSC, which became Team Saxo Bank, since 2004 Arvesen has ridden five of the last six Tours. Riding strongly on the front of the peloton, as well as getting into breakaways the Norwegian was an integral part of Carlos Sastre’s 2008 victory and won a stage that year himself.
What Arvesen’s race programme will look like for the remainder of the season, the 34-year-old isn’t sure.
“I’ll ride the race on Sunday and we’ll see what happens,” he concluded.