The 27 year old Norwegian was picked to shepherd Katrine Aalerud through the mountains. Instead she launched an 88.5 km attack, held Lotte Kopecky at 1 minute 24 seconds, and turned an opening week into history.
In 2025 she raced through Tour de Suisse and Dutch Nationals, arrived tired, and lost the Tour by minutes. In 2026 her team pulled her from both. On Stage 1 she gained time in a bunch sprint. The lesson translates.
Peer-reviewed data on 165 mm cranks shows reduced perceived fatigue and lower knee-joint loading. The pro peloton has been quietly migrating for two years while amateur bikes still ship with 172.5 mm.
