Alexander Kristoff an inspiration but also a winner for Uno-X

LAGOS PORTUGAL FEBRUARY 15 EDITORS NOTE Alternate crop Alexander Kristoff of Norway and UnoX Pro Cycling Team celebrates at finish line as stage winner ahead of Jordi Meeus of Belgium and Team Bora Hansgrohe and Soren Wrenskjold of Norway and UnoX Pro Cycling Team during the 49th Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2023 Stage 1 a 2002km stage from Portimo to Lagos VAlgarve2023 on February 15 2023 in Lagos Portugal Photo by Tim de WaeleGetty Images
Alexander Kristoff won stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve after a superb leadout from teammate Søren Wærenskjold (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Alexander Kristoff is more than just a mentor. The 35-year-old's move to Uno-X had a whiff of a veteran rounding out his career by passing the baton over to the next generation as the team makes its Tour de France debut. 

But Kristoff, who has been defying talk of age-related decline years, proved he can contribute far more than his experience on Wednesday by winning the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve. 

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.