Since the beginning of August, Magnus Cort He achieved something like 10 top 10 finishes, including 3 wins and 6 podiums. Not bad for a 31-year-old who has been around the top levels of cycling since 2014, having ridden around many WorldTour teams until this year's arrival at Uno-X. A step backwards, but it's only on paper because the Dane has found his niche in the professional team (which, after all, competes in practically all the top-flight races).
These impressive results have once again opened the doors to the national team for the next World Cup and have also made him more open and available, so much so that he isn't overly surprised by the specific contact he received from Italy. Cort made himself available to talk about his new reality, that of one of the riders who, despite not being part of the "magnificent six", knows how to achieve significant satisfaction. A figure of the kind that would be very useful for our current cycling…
After the Tour de France you achieved many great results between Norway and Denmark, with the victory at theArctic Race of Norway and second place in the Tour of your countryDid you expect a similar situation?
I think it's always a bit complicated to emerge from a Grand Tour and then continue to do well. I'm super, super happy with the results I've achieved. I knew I was in good shape, but making it work is another matter, and the results came in a fairly long time., with a 7th place in the opening stage in Norway on August 4th up to the podium at the Bretagne Classic on the 25th.
How much did the three weeks of the Tour influence your improvement in your condition?
Ah, I think very much for sure. In a Grand Tour there are always difficult days, completing three weeks of racing is never easyTo be honest, I don't train as hard as I do for races like the Tour and the Giro. A race of that level, that hard, that long, has a very, very strong impact on your body.
Between your second place at the Tour of Denmark and third at the Bretagne Classic, were you left with any regrets about a victory that slipped away?
When you don't win but you come close, there's always regret. We play a sport where who wins matters, there's little you can do. I think that in both scenarios I did what I could and I feel that victory in Denmark was really within reach. Everything was played on the edge of seconds, before the start of the last stage I was 5 seconds behind De LieI tried to chase the intermediate sprint bonuses, and I was almost there. In the final sprint, I was maybe less than half a wheel's distance from second place instead of third. I would have won. But I also have to be happy. My team managers congratulated me, they were satisfied. It was supposed to be this way... In France, however, I was very happy to get on the podium, even if you work to win the race.
You've been in the WorldTour since 2014, how much has changed in these 10 years?
It's hard to say because change comes slowly. One thing I often hear is that teams need to work together, to use a pun. So in the most boring part of the race you see the group in a long line with all seven riders from each team often lined up one behind the other. They work, whereas a few years ago they would have been in a group.We chatted, checked our opponents' faces, and discussed what to do. Now we're lined up like in Denmark, and being a great team, we're always ahead of the pack, or almost. There's no peace, so things have changed.
How does a Dane find himself in a team like Uno-X which is almost a Norwegian national team?
I think it's really nice because you realize it's easier to become close friends. Already when I joined the team, I could feel that many of the guys were very close. And I've integrated well; there's a great bond between Norwegians and Danes. When we plan to go to the races, it almost feels like hanging out with your friends. They're not just your colleagues, but your friends. The fact that there are only two nationalities in the team perhaps helps, it gives a clear identity. Plus, we have a very similar culture.
How useful would a Danish team be in the WorldTour?
It's hard to say. I'm a few years older, but I remember that in my early years, there was a reference team, before I turned professional. At that time there were great junior talents and they didn't always manage to blossom. Many people were afraid when that team folded, fearing what would happen to the movement, but then it turned out that those with quality always found their way, and do you know why? Because this way you have so many more options available; before, there was a sort of predefined choice of where to land.
You won the Arctic Race and were second in Denmark: are you becoming a stage racer aiming for the overall standings?
No, it's just the result of soft routes, I think that races with large mountain stages will still be unthinkable. It's not the first time I've done the rankings in Denmark, I already did it in 2016 and it was the first time I did an important professional stage race.That was like a big victory for me.
At the World Cup without Vingegaard, what do you think your national team's tactics will be like and what role will you have?
I think things haven't been decided yet. We'll talk about it when we're together. We know that without Jonas we will have to find a different tactic and that my role will also change. But I'm sure we will have a very strong and competitive team.
You still have two years left on your contract. What do you expect now?
First of all, we hope to go to the Tour de France and I really want to come back and win like in 2018 and 2022, because all good things come in threes…
