Tour de France organisers in favour of Arctic Tour of Norway
Organisers of Arctic Tour of Norway have spoken to Amaury Sport Organisation to arrange the event annually. It has been decided that the race will be held in August and ASO, that runs the Tour de France, is interested in the project.
The idea behind organising the race is to take full advantage of Norway’s gorgeous natural beauty.
It has also been proposed that a cruise ship will be arranged to ensure that all the cyclists stay under one roof, unlike other races.
The organisers also mentioned that the riders will be encouraged to bring their families on board as their will be ample room for everyone.
According to ProCycling.no, the two master minds behind the event are Ole Skardal and Knut-Dybal. The pair has already organised races in Norway and is all set to take on the next challenge.
The duo came up with the idea last year as they presented it to the Norwegian TV 2. Bjorn Taalesen, TV 2 Sports Chief, liked the idea as he mentioned, “The race has everything needed to succeed in competition with other concepts: It has nature, potential,
and is different from stage races that already exist today”.
Bjorn then set up a meeting with ASO in order to take the offer to the next level, which left ASO jubilant after hearing the terrific plan behind the race.
As a result, Tour de France authorities showed their interest in the five day stage race.
The organisers briefed, “We showed off the Lofoten Islands, and they melted completely. They told us that of all the new concepts for bicycle they had looked at in recent years, this was the one with the greatest potential”.
It has also been planned that full benefit of long summer nights will be taken and stages will be held in the evenings, which will be an additional feature of the race.
They mentioned, “Our idea of using the Arctic light and the ability to arrange stages in the bright evening hours is unprecedented”.
The organisers are now waiting for the Government’s response on the issue as they are interested to hold the contest in 2013, with a test event as early as in 2012.
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