'Best day of my life as a rider' – Alexander Kristoff reflects on 2015 Tour of Flanders triumph and chasing 100 wins before retirement

Kristoff celebrates winning the 2015 Tour of Flanders
Kristoff celebrates winning the 2015 Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Getty Images)

When you've clocked 1182 race days as a professional with 97 wins including two Monuments, four Grand Tour stages and also worn the iconic yellow jersey at the Tour de France along the way, you might think it would be hard to pick out a highlight. However, for Alexander Kristoff one victory 10 years ago trumps all – the Tour of Flanders.

A decade on from 2015 and still Kristoff sees his triumph at the Ronde van Vlaanderen as the pinnacle. After getting away on the Kruisberg 28km from the line with Niki Terpstra, who would win Flanders himself three years later, the Norwegian did the lion's share of the work on the approach to the finish. Kristoff was then not only imperious on the Paterberg but ensured it would come down to a one-on-one sprint in Oudenaarde. 

James Moultrie
News Writer

James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.

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