Tobias Halland Johannessen puts the cherry on top

What a finale to the Vuelta a España! Last Sunday, Tobias Halland Johannessen won the final stage of the Vuelta after a thrilling finale. The Norwegian had already spent the entire day on the attack during the queen stage one day earlier, finishing second on the Collado del Alguacil. Following Andreas Leknessund’s stage victory, Uno-X finishes the season with four stage wins across the three Grand Tours. To top it all off, Sakarias Koller Løland also won the Trofeo Matteotti this Sunday.

Everything that happened in this Vuelta was extra after Uno-X’s masterclass in stage 7 to Aramón Valdelinares. With Leknessund and Johannessen finishing first and second, the trilogy had already been completed. Earlier this year, Fredrik Dversnes Lavik had already won the Giro stage in Milan, while Søren Wærenskjold claimed a sprint victory in the Tour. We could not have dreamed of more, but the Norwegian team’s hunger had not yet been satisfied. They had another plan for the final weekend.

In Saturday’s brutally tough stage, Uno-X sent no fewer than six (!) riders into the breakaway. All day long, the team tried to roll out the red carpet for Johannessen. However, on the final climb, he had to acknowledge Mikel Landa’s superiority. For the second time in this Vuelta, the Norwegian climber had to settle for the runner-up spot. His chance therefore seemed to have gone, but in Granada he attacked again on the undulating course. His chances of success seemed slim with Matthew Brennan in the leading group, but Johannessen managed to escape alongside Alessandro Romele and Ramses Debruyne. In a tense sprint for the stage victory, the Norwegian prevailed, winning his first race since autumn 2023. The release of emotion was huge. The victory was also a dream farewell for Magnus Cort, who rode his final Grand Tour in this Vuelta and will hang up his racing bike at the end of the season.

Fans noticed this weekend that Tobias Johannessen was riding a special Noah Fast. It is a ‘raw carbon’ version. This frame arrived at BCF as an unfinished raw-carbon frame, which was hand-polished before the decals were applied and then finished with a very thin layer of semi-gloss clear coat. The regular Uno-X paint finish weighs just 45 grams for the entire frameset, including the fork and all decals. Johannessen’s frame saves 30 grams compared with the standard paint finish.

As if the success in Spain was not enough, Uno-X also found success in Italy. Sakarias Koller Løland claimed victory in the Trofeo Matteotti. The 24-year-old Norwegian was the fastest rider from a large group. This is not his first success in Italy, as he also won the Veneto Classic, an Italian autumn classic, last year. Thanks to these two victories, Uno-X now sits ninth in the team ranking. That makes 2026 a more than successful year already.

Photos: Photo News