Uno-X Mobility are among the European peloton racing in Saudi Arabia this week, with Alexander Kristoff and Jonas Abrahamsen leading the way for them at the AlUla Tour. However, two-time stage winner Søren Wærenskjold has chosen not to race in Saudi Arabia.
For the 24-year-old, who won sprint stages in 2023 and 2024, missing the trip to Saudi Arabia is a moral decision.
Saudi Arabia's human rights record is repressive, including restrictions on women's rights and freedom of speech, while LGBTQ+ rights are virtually non-existent, LGBTQ+ advocacy is banned, and the state uses both capital and corporal punishment.
Wærenskjold said in 2023 that he rejected a move to UAE Team Emirates for similar reasons, saying that "you would rather make the morally and ethically right choice".
This week, he told TV2.no that he had taken the decision to stay away from the AlUla Tour and had the support of the Uno-X Mobility team.
"I said I didn't want to go back, and the team has respected that. I'd rather stay here," he said.
"If the team had told me I had to go, I couldn't have said anything about it. They are the bosses. But for my own part, I will try to stay on the more 'correct' side, so to speak.
"It's because of human rights. There is evidence of people being imprisoned and killed because of their political views. Gay rights, women's rights... there are many problems."
Uno-X Mobility general manager Thor Hushovd said that he and the team respected Wærenskjold's decision not to race. He also noted that his team's participation doesn't mean they support Saudi Arabia's government.
"I have to respect the fact that athletes have different wishes and take a stand on such important issues. Participation does not mean that they support the regime," Hushovd said.
The AlUla Tour is a foray into the oil-rich Middle East by Tour de France organisers ASO, who also organise the Tour of Oman. Giro d'Italia organisers RCS have taken a similar route with the UAE Tour.
Teams seeking Grand Tour wildcards are often found filling out the peloton at such races. Uno-X Mobility have been joined at the AlUla Tour by fellow Tour hopefuls TotalEnergies, Tudor, and Q36.5. The 2025 Grand Tour wild cards are expected to be confirmed very soon.
Wærenskjold acknowledged the influence of the business and politics of the sport but said that he is content with his own "simple choice" even if he doesn't think it will have a major effect in the grand scheme of things.
"If you have the opportunity, I think it's positive to distance yourself a little. But then you have ASO, which is a very large organiser and has a lot of business over there, so it quickly becomes a bit complicated," he said.
"I'm just a simple cyclist who can make a simple choice. Systemic changes are probably difficult to achieve. And I don't really think that distancing myself from it has any effect. But I do it for my own conscience."
Hushovd added, "Now, many of the biggest sports competitions are in different types of countries. And it's the organisers, ASO, that we are there for and support. But, of course, we respect the fact that some athletes choose not to race there."
Cycling has been one among a swathe of sports to flock to the Middle East in recent years as nations such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain seek to diversify their financial investments and host major sporting events. They have often been accused of 'sportswash' their image to the West.
The willingness of these nations to invest huge amounts of money into hosting sporting events and buying teams has seen sporting federations, teams, and athletes bat away moral and ethical questions amid a modern-day sporting gold rush.
In 2028, the UAE is set to follow Qatar in hosting the UCI Road World Championships, while the nation will also play host to the Track Worlds a year later.
Wærenskjold has not taken part in any of the other Middle East-hosted events during his career, though he did note that Saudi Arabia is "perhaps one of the worse" in terms of human rights.
"You have to be careful to differentiate between the countries in the Middle East. Some are more 'westernised' than others, but Saudi Arabia is perhaps one of the worse countries, so I try to distance myself from that," he said, before concluding the interview by answering a question on the topic of theoretical participation at the 2028 Worlds in the UAE.
"I'll have to see. I don't dare answer that now."
