Norway hasn’t exactly been shy of top sprinters in the last few decades, but they seem to have unearthed another very fast guy in Team Coop’s Tord Gudmestad.
The second year U23 has four UCI wins this season, including capturing the U23 National RR crown in part of a recent purple patch. He won’t be at the Tour de l’Avenir, but it’s time to get to know him before he faces WorldTour sprinters for the first time at the Arctic Race of Norway and the Tour of Norway.
“2021 has been great. At times I can’t believe it. It’s been great for the team too, we have won a lot with different riders. We always have a plan and race 100% for each other.”
Assessing his strengths and weaknesses, Tord knows he can be a very good rider but says he has to become stronger in both his strength and weakness in order to reach a new level.
“For sure I am a sprinter, but in the future I’d also like to become a good Classics rider too. I always want to improve and keep training well. I think if I can get stronger and improve both my climbing and my sprint, I can be a really good rider. But you always want to improve in all areas.”
Tord took me through the U23 Nationals, which was one of his four wins this year (along with the Rhodes GP and two stages and points jersey at the Dookola Mazowsza). It was a race that saw the sprinter go on the attack and win as the strongest rider, not just the fastest.
“The U23 race was great. There were a lot of attacks early and I was one of the big favourites. Suddenly I found myself in a group of three, which was not perfect for me as I had to do a lot of work when I was supposed to be the sprinter. We were caught by ten more riders and everyone was trying to attack me on the last lap. But I was strong and managed to not let anyone get away and did a nice final climb. It was even better that I then managed to win the sprint. I think I deserved the win as I was really strong. It was strange to race like that as a sprinter, but I also did that sort of thing as a junior a lot. I like to race like this, but it’s not easy when everyone is looking at you.”
Gudmestad is lucky that he has such strong teammates, some of whom are very fast like he is too. He has learned a lot from all of them, but he showed some love for Denmark’s Louis Bendixen, his leadout man who also beat Tord to the Puchar MON one-day race in their last outing.
“I’ve learned a lot from the older guys, especially someone like Louis Bendixen. He’s so fast and experienced. Having him in front of me in a leadout helps a lot and he’s taught me a lot about positioning and other things leading up to the final sprint. He’s nice to me and I really appreciate him. He takes care of me and having him with me in the final is great. He’s so strong, he won the Puchar MON ahead of me on his own, just a talented rider.”
Speaking on where we will see him next, he will miss the battle with the other top U23 sprinters in the world at l’Avenir, but will get his shot at racing against the WorldTour teams in his two home pro races. He has not much experience here, aside from training with one of those aforementioned famous Norwegian sprinters.
“There’s no l’Avenir for me, instead I will do the Arctic Race and the Tour of Norway. I hope to be up there and do at least one good sprint. I live in the same area as Alexander Kristoff and he’s taught me a lot. It’s good to train and learn from him. I’m looking forward to sprinting with the WorldTour guys as I don’t have much experience with this. I think I can learn a lot from these races and see how my sprint compares. I know positioning will be harder with those guys at the race but I’m hoping to perform well.”
When asked about a dream pro win, Gudmestad says he firstly dreams of being a pro, but that the races won by Kristoff could also suit him and he does dream of trying to win those in the future once he gets stronger.
“I think dreams and goals are different. Before thinking about winning a race I have always dreamed of becoming a pro, but it is now feeling like more of a goal, but we need to see. For races, for sure the Worlds and the Northern Classics are big to win. We need to see in the future, at the moment I need to be stronger as I am a long way away from winning those. Having Kristoff close to me does make those races feel closer as you can train with him and see how he performs, but I also talk to him like a normal guy and he is a really nice person who treats me well.”
There is no question in my mind Tord Gudmestad feels like a future WorldTour sprinter. I think he will learn a lot about his level in the coming races and will be a very hard guy to beat in 2022. After that, perhaps the pros can come calling. Either way, remember the name.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Tord for taking the time to answer my questions and I wish him all the best for the rest of 2021 and beyond. I also wish to thank Caroline at Team Coop for helping coordinate the interview. You can find Tord on Instagram here.
U23 Cycling Zone 