The four-stage-long Arctic Race of Norway finished with an uphill sprint in Bodø yesterday. The race, which winds past fjords, mountains, and even glaciers, is supported by the Norwegian government who want tourists to notice the beauty of the Arctic environment.
Two riders are toiling at the pedals. They are riding up a steep, twisting road. Around them are birch trees, spectators scattered along the roadside, and the buzzing sound of a helicopter above. Behind them, a hundred meters back, a menacing peloton of some 50 riders is chasing.
One of the two, Kamiel Bonneu of Belgium, rides away from the other. Alone, he reaches the top of the hill, and suddenly, a bald, Arctic mountain looms behind him. He looks back, presumably at the peloton, and then rides for the victory. Less than a kilometer to go.
In the knick of time, he reaches the finish line, and points a single finger to the sky, dedicating the victory to his grandfather who died the day before. He is crowned the winner of Stage 3 of the Arctic Tour of Norway.
Watch the last kilometer of Stage 3 here.
Hours of landscapes
A bike race takes hours and hours, and not all of them are this dramatic, (as anyone who ever watched a sprint stage of the Tour de France will know). But when the pace is slower, it allows television viewers to take in the scenery, the picturesque villages, and tapestry of culture that unfolds around the race.
Or as Ernest Hemingway once wrote: ”It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” A sentiment that could be expanded to the (granted, less physically draining) act of watching the race on television.
It is for this reason exactly that a professional bicycle race, at least in theory, is an ideal way to promote a region, and the reason that the Norwegian government since 2014 has invested millions of euros into the Arctic Race of Norway.
Yesterday, the 11th edition of the race finished with a victory to Danish rider Magnus Cort Nielsen. The race has become somewhat of an institution in the Arctic region but has not avoided criticism through the years.
Praise for the helpers
In recent years, it has been contested if it really is a good investment for countries to invest in sporting events. Most recently, the question is being asked of the ongoing Olympics in Paris.
In the past, such doubts have been cast on the Arctic Race of Norway too. In 2019, for instance, it emerged that one local municipality had come out of the race with a much bigger deficit than expected.
It would seem that this year, the organizers were determined to get out ahead of such criticism.
Indeed, during this year’s edition of the race, the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Cecilie Myrseth, placed an Op-ed in a local Bodø newspaper. In it, she praised the so-called “helping riders”, known in English as domestiques, emphasizing the importance of the many volunteers involved with the race.
Moreover, she underscored how important the race is for tourism, the fifth largest industry in Norway, and argued, therefore, that the annual government support of 15 million NOK (around 1.3 million euro) is an investment rather than an expenditure.
The Managing Director of the Arctic Race of Norway, Knut-Eirik Dybdal, also recently shared his opinions in an op-ed in a local newspaper. He, too, pointed out that the event contributed much more than just sporting excitement.
“When the idea of a professional cycling race through Northern Norway was born, one thing in particular was important: It had to be more than just a bike race. It should be something that municipalities, businesses, and people in Northern Norway could use to achieve their goals. It should contribute to lifting up the entire region of Northern Norway,” he wrote.
A festival for the people
And it would seem that the opinions of Cecilie Myrseth and Knut-Eirik Dybdal are confirmed by concrete numbers. At least a report from 2019 estimated that the value of the television broadcast alone was around 270 NOK (around 22.9 million euro), and that an additional 40 million NOK (3.4 million euro) was added from increased business turnover in the region.
According to the same report, the race was broadcast in a staggering 190 countries around the world (there 193 members of the UN), a fact that was repeated by both Myrseth and Dybdal in their op-eds. Spread across these countries, 9.6 million viewers followed the race in 2019.
How many viewers followed the 2024 version is as yet unknown. Those who did would have seen Danish rider Magnus Cort Nielsen win the yellow “Midnight Sun Jersey” ahead of Frenchman Clément Champoussin and the American Kevin Vermaercke
But more importantly, at least according to the organizers, they would have seen hours and hours of bicyclists meandering through the contours of beautiful Arctic landscapes. Perhaps, even, a few of them would have been inspired to visit the Norwegian high north. Or as Knut-Eirik Dybdal put it in his op-ed:
“We both hope and believe that this year’s event will become a festival for the people that can generate income locally and regionally, and showcase our beautiful region to the rest of the world.”
Ole Ellekrog, Polar Journal AG
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