It goes without saying that there are not many specialists in the junior peloton, but Norway’s Tobias Nakken is not shying away from his very fast sprint.
The final year junior, who at the time of writing was still to sign a contract for 2023, is in the midst of a real purple patch of form, winning the Norwegian Junior RR and a stage of the Watersley Junior Challenge, his first win on the Nations Cup.
I talked to Tobias not long after his big wins and got to know a man well capable of continuing Norway’s fine recent sprinting heritage better.
“This year has been a rollercoaster. There was a lot of hard work in the winter and I had big ambitions for the spring classics, but it wasn’t meant to be. I crashed out of Axel, Nokere and Roubaix. I headed back to Norway and won a race (he has three wins in total on the domestic scene, ed.) in the Norwegian Cup and then won Nationals, which was one of my three big goals for the season. I then won the Watersley stage on the Nations Cup, with a win at that level being another of my preseason goals. Overall, I’d say it’s been OK so far, as I wanted more from the spring.”
Despite specialisation often being discouraged at the junior level, Tobias knows where his biggest strength lies, even if he is always trying to improve in various areas.
“I’m one of the pure sprinters in the junior level. It’s no secret that climbing and TTing are my biggest disadvantages. My strengths are my sprint and I’m always able to position myself well. Even with my sprint, I’m always working hard on increasing my threshold and climbing so I’m even more fresh coming into the sprints.”
Winning the national championships was a massive result for Nakken, who explained how his team rode perfectly to set him up to take home such a beautiful jersey.
“I’m fortunate enough to race for a good team in Norway, and they rode for me all day. Jorgen Nordhagen was brought back with 500m to go and I was left in the perfect position to sprint. It was a big relief to win, and to end this year in the jersey is a privilege, especially since I look up to the guys who have won this title before me.”
Beating Vlad Van Mechelen and Frank Aron Ragilo (Canibal) and Sente Sentjens (Acrog-Tormans) to win the opening sprint of the Watersley race gave Tobias further confidence about his current form. It also marked a massive race to strike his first win in the national champs jersey.
“That was a good day, to beat my friends from Canibal is cool, and it also filled my goal of winning a UCI race. The final was chaotic and I lost my leadout. But I kept calm and maintained a good position, and I overtook Frank Aron Ragilo with 150m to go. I could celebrate with the team and do an honorary lap around the Zolder circuit after too. It was a big relief to show I could win big international races, not just in Norway, as there are a lot more sprinters on the UCI scene than there are in Norway.”
After achieving two of his three goals for the season, Tobias is taking aim at his third and final goal: the Worlds. But coming from such a strong nation, he knows selection is far from guaranteed.
“The Worlds is my last goal for the season, although I don’t yet know if I’m selected yet. I hope my results are good enough to go. Here in Norway, we always have one of the strongest teams, so it’s not easy to get into it!”
He also has a calendar that wasn’t exactly 100% confirmed when we talked, but Worlds or not, Nakken will get some more quality race days in before he leaves the junior category.
“I was due to do the Hungarian Nations Cup, but that has been cancelled. I will do the Norwegian Cup race and try and support my teammates. After that, I’m not too sure. I hope to do the UCI race in Switzerland with the national team and maybe another trip to Belgium and Holland, and try to make the most of the end of the season.”
As his junior career comes to an end, Nakken reflected on how he balanced his studies with his cycling, as well as looking back on a decision to focus purely on cycling for this season.
“I go to a sports school, so I can race and train without any issues. The school are very supportive. I can train before school, then go to school and recover once I am home. Last winter was the first time I did no cross-country skiing. I focussed solely on the bike and felt big improvements.”
Tobias, at the time of publishing, told me he doesn’t yet have anything signed for the 2023 season. I imagine he wont be short of suitors though, and will find the perfect team for his developmental needs.
“I have not signed anything yet, but I’m confident I will sign for a team where I will be happy and can develop at my own tempo. Ringerike has a good calendar, but they are a club team. Nothing has been decided yet, we will see what happens.”
After watching two of his favourite riders win the Worlds growing up in back to back years, and then seeing both win races in the Rainbows, with five Tour stages in the iconic jersey between them, there was no doubt that is his dream win.
“I’d say the Worlds. I grew up watching Hushovd and Cavendish win that race, and I looked up to them while they were in the jersey. To win a race in that jersey must be an amazing feeling.”
There is no question that Tobias Nakken will find a good landing spot for his U23 career, where he will continue to build on the speed and hard work he has shown as a junior. I’d not be shocked to see his junior years kick him on to even more success as a U23 and beyond.
Junior Cycling Zone wishes to take the time to thank Tobias for answering my call, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season and beyond. You can find his Instagram and Twitter accounts linked.
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