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Which rider has been part of the UAE Team Emirates squad in every Tour de France Tadej Pogačar has ridden? Nope, not Mikkel Bjerg or Matteo Trentin. Not even Rafał Majka. The answer – and it’s possible you have never really heard of him – is Vegard Stake Laengen.
Professional cycling is full of riders like Stake Laengen, riders who fly under the radar, and yet perform incredibly important jobs. The Norwegian, who is currently riding the Giro d’Italia alongside Pogačar, is not there by accident, or just filling a spot.
However, the 35-year-old is at the Giro because of Jay Vine’s absence, after the Australian was caught up in the horror crash at Itzulia Basque Country last month, which derailed Jonas Vingegaard’s season, among others.
It means UAE Team Emirates are down one climber, although whether this will impact Pogačar, who is pretty good in the mountains, remains to be seen. The choice of Stake Laengen is clearly a reflection of what the squad think is important to help deliver his Slovenian leader to victory.
“I saw in Laengen the most potential,” Pogačar explained this week, GCN reported. “I knew we had to take a lot of responsibility and Mikkel [Bjerg] and Domen [Novak] are climbing both super well.
“In the end, we can use Vegard more for the flat part of the stages and pull long, because that’s what he’s perfect for. I think it’s a good decision, it’s going well so far.”
How does Stake Laengen see his role at UAE Team Emirates? Speaking to Cycling Weekly at last summer’s Tour de France, the Norwegian answered in simple terms. “My role is to protect Tadej, to take care of him,” he said. “Flat stages, but also days with smaller climbs, even at the beginning of mountain stages.
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“We work really well together, I’ve known Tadej since he joined the team. He can trust his teammates.”
Given Pogačar has only won a Grand Tour when Stake Laengen has been present, he is a bit of a good luck charm, too. The 35-year-old has been at UAE Team Emirates since its inception, in 2017, so almost feels like he is from a different era, the pre-Pogačar time. In fact, he is the only rider, along with Diego Ulissi, still riding for the team since that first year.
“The team has improved a lot since 2020,” he said. “We started as a good team, but every year there has been improvement. Small steps, but also signing better riders. I’ve learned a lot more about training and nutrition. I feel that we’re all going in the right direction.”
He has been present throughout his Slovenian team leader’s journey from promising neo-pro to one of the best bike riders in the world, which has given him a bit of a unique perspective.
“He is more confident now, he knows he is the best bike rider,” Stake Laengen said of Pogačar. “Even though he is a big star now, he is always really calm. He never complains, it’s a really nice approach. He can still keep his personality. He’s not angry at small things, he appreciates the help.”
Crucially, the 25-year-old is apparently just as much fun when the cameras are off as when they are on. “In the team, he makes a lot of jokes, he has good humour. He’s always speaking, I feel we always have fun when he’s in the squad.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Still, while many know who Pogačar is, few know Stake Laengen’s story.
The Norwegian had a slow start to his pro cycling career. He joined the WorldTour in 2016 with IAM Cycling, when he was already 26; but he started in a different sport altogether.
“In Norway, there is a lot of skiing, so I was doing cross-country,” he said. “Then in the summer, we needed to train, so I tried cycling, and I liked cycling. In the beginning, I was 50:50 with skiing and cycling, but I have more talent for cycling, so I focused on this.
“In the past it was more common for people to turn professional later. But these days, once you’re a super-good junior, you sign earlier.
“I didn’t feel too old when I turned professional, because I had a lot of older teammates. It took some time, but it was also a nice experience, to go from a small team, to WorldTour. It was a nice journey to do, step by step. Now, I feel happy every day to be at this team, and I’m never complaining. I know from when I was younger that you have to be happy when the team is like this.”
The reserved Norwegian might be a key part of cycling’s best team right now, and might often ride alongside the sport’s star in Pogačar, but he is pleased that he gets to remain in the shadows, and that the man ten years his junior takes the limelight. A man who has not updated his Instagram in almost four years is keen to remain in the shadows.
“For me, I’m super happy,” Stake Laengen said. “I like to be on the bike and do my job there, and to be honest, I’m happy I don’t get the attention. For me, I feel really good with this. Sometimes I think it must be really hard for Tadej with all the fans, always wanting photos. It’s almost impossible to leave the hotel for a short walk, because of everyone following him. For me, though, this is a nice thing.”
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