After taking the leap to move to Italy for this season, that decision already seems to be paying off for Denmark’s Anders Foldager. Riding for Biesse-Carrera, he’s raced three hilly Italian U23 one-day races and is yet to finish lower than 12th and has a top five and top ten in that span.
He’s going to have a shot at some Italian pro races in the Autumn, but for now his attention will mostly be turning towards the U23 Giro, where he will be a really interesting name to watch.
I called Anders recently to get to know the third-year U23 better, so read on to find out more about him!
“It’s been a good start to the season. I’ve had top results in the big U23 UCI races and also in some national races too. I was 5th at Belvedere and 6th at San Vendemiano against a strong international peloton. I don’t think I could have dreamt for more for the start to my season. I still need to find a way to get to the top spot, but I am sure it will come. It’s still early in the season.”
Anders spoke about how he is missing just a little bit so far in the Italian races to go with the very best, but thinks he and his team are getting stronger and are in a really good position.”
“In Belvedere, there were some strong guys who got away on a climb and I just didn’t have the legs to follow them. In other races though, I just miss that last bit of luck to make the last twenty seconds up to catch the leaders. The team and I are in a good position to do well.”
Foldager loves the short climbs, identifying as a puncheur. He’s not yet raced in the big mountains, so cannot yet determine where that skill lies in his arsenal at this moment, but he will get his answers soon enough.
“I’d say short, steep climbs are my speciality. So yes, I’d say I am like a puncheur. Efforts of one to five minutes are best for me. Also in the sprint, I’ve been doing well over the last season, I’m not afraid of a bigger group sprint. I want to improve my TT and my performance in the big mountains. I’m yet to race in them, but it could be a problem, we will need to wait and see.”
We took a bit more of a dive into why he has moved to Italy this season, with weather, race program and terrain all cited as very legitimate reasons for leaving home and coming to a new culture.
“Normally in Denmark, there are no long climbs. Before this year, I’d only done those on camps in Spain. Here in Italy, I can do longer climbs in training and in races. It was hard in the beginning, but with some hard work in the winter and during the season, I think I’ve been converted to the longer climbs. After last year, I made the decision to come here. I had some contacts who had made this move before and they thought it could be good for me. I took the chance, as the racing terrain is better, the weather for training is better. It’s a win-win for me and there are good races here and I can live like a pro with optimal training conditions. Danish teams are very good and well structured, but there isn’t the same program that Italian Conti teams have. For sure this is a new culture, but there are things that remain the same. Cycling is cycling. The language and the way the team is built is different than in Denmark. I’m learning though.”
Anders has raced some pro events this season and will do more later this year, but he actually got his first pro experience at his home tour, where things maybe didn’t go to plan. All the same, he plans on using that experience for good this year.
“Last year I did the Tour of Denmark with the national team. It wasn’t my best race as I wasn’t in top shape due to some crashes, but it was a great experience for the future, racing against the best. I’ll do some pro races later this year, it should hopefully go better with better form.”
Anders, like all U23s, wants to turn pro, so he’s focussing on showing himself in the biggest U23 races and doing all he can to be selected by the Danish national team for the Worlds and l’Avenir. In between times, the very big goal of the U23 Giro looms closer and closer.
“I’m now back in Denmark to relax and recover. I’ll return to Italy to build for the U23 Giro. That’s my next big goal, to do well there, and maybe try to win stages. After, there are still other big races, like Strade Bianche and other international races. The next part of the season is very important for me and the team. Since my big goal is to go pro, I want to really show myself in the U23 races. If I do well in these U23 races, I hope it will be possible to do l’Avenir and the Worlds.”
Finally, Anders talked about his dream race, citing a few big races, but making it very clear he holds one race in a higher regard than all the others.
“For me, the biggest race is the Worlds. With the jersey, the history, that’s the biggest race for me. After that, I’d also say all the Monuments, but the Worlds is the biggest.”
Anders Foldager has been a revelation so far in 2022, and once he is back racing in Italy, I expect the good results to keep on coming as he charts a path that hopefully ends with a pro contract, especially after taking the gigantic leap to leave home. I also really think he can win one of the Italian one-day races, and there are still a lot of them left in the 2022 calendar too.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Anders for taking the time to speak to me, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2022 season and beyond. You can find his Instagram here.
U23 Cycling Zone 