Carl Fredrik Hagen: This season has been much better than I expected

Carl Fredrik Hagen (Lotto Soudal) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

The Vuelta a España seems to throw up revelatory results every year, and the 2019 edition of the race was no exception. Carl Fredrik Hagen (Lotto Soudal) was among the stand-out performers in September, taking eighth place in Madrid at the end of his first-ever Grand tour.

The Norwegian, who made the step up from the Continental team Joker Icopal this year, rode a remarkably steady race for a debutant, moving into sixth overall in Andorra, and never looking in danger of dropping out of the top 10 over the remaining 12 stages.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, joining in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, Road World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Demi Vollering, and Remco Evenepoel. Their favourite races are the Giro d'Italia, Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix.

Season highlights from the 2024 season include reporting from Paris-Roubaix –  'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix – and the Tour de France – 'Disbelief', gratitude, and family – Mark Cavendish celebrates a record-breaking Tour de France sprint win.