Bobby & Jens: Kurt Asle Arvesen

For someone from a country of about five million people that routinely dominates the Winter Olympics, cycling is far from the most likely sport to take up, let alone go pro. Norwegian former pro cyclist turned directeur sportif Kurt Asle Arvesen can’t deny that. “I never dreamt about becoming a professional bike rider,” he said of growing up in a place where it snows from October to May. “My idols were skiers.”

Also read: Bobby & Jens: Geraint Thomas

But despite growing up in a small town of only 400 people — or perhaps because of it — he ended up becoming a cyclist, and a very successful one at that, going pro and winning the U23 world championships, a Tour de France stage, and more.

A former teammate of Bobby & Jens co-hosts Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt at Team CSC, Kurt joined the show this week, talking about finding cycling despite less than likely circumstances and the rapid success he experienced early in his career. Later in the interview, the discussion turned to some of his bigger career moments including a Tour de France stage win.

Since retiring from cycling, Kurt has become a directeur sportif, starting out at Team Sky and now working at the Norwegian Uno-X cycling team. Find out about running an up-and-coming ProTeam looking to break into the WorldTour, from races to developing riders and the struggles of retaining talent and gaining enough points to reach the next level.

Listen to this week’s episode for the full discussion.

“Bobby & Jens” is a weekly VeloNews podcast. It stars former pros Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt and features conversations with top athletes, coaches, emerging stars, and other newsmakers from the wide world of cycling. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.

Send your questions to BobbyandJens@VeloNews.com or Tweet @bobbyandjens.