EXAMPLE OF COMMITMENT. Those who know Katrine Aalerud well talk about a rider and person with an incredible ability to sacrifice, one who takes every bit of knowledge the great riders in the team teach her to improve more and more. Despite health not being on her side at most points of the last two seasons, which prevented her from joining Van Vleuten at Giro + TDF -she was able to come back for La Vuelta-, the Norwegian rider again displayed her commitment towards team labours and quality uphill and against the clock, abilities which make her one of the best allrounders in the current Movistar Team roster.

TOP RESULTS. She took a significant step forward in the early part 2021: won the reVolta and the Norwegian ITT champs; claimed her first international podium with 3rd in the Setmana Valenciana; got close again to top-ten results (11th + 15th) at two of the three Ardennes classics (Amstel, Flèche Wallonne); finished 5th overall in a WorldTour stagerace, Burgos -plus 6th in the Lagunas de Neila, on the attack near the top-; and was 7th at the mountain TT of the Giro Donne. In 2022, she was 2nd in the Norwegian TT and 9th overall in the Tour of Scandinavia, with a strong progression over the Queen stage’s toughest slopes of Norefjell.

ALWAYS GOING UP. Despite those talents and results, we’re still talking with Aalerud about a rider with room for progression: aged 28, she’s just got seven seasons of pro experience -six at UCI teams-, while always taken significant leaps ahead every year. Top-20 overall in the 2018 Rosa; 7th in the mountainous Emakumeen Bira and Tour de l’Ardèche in 2019; 4th at one of the most demanding stages in the ‘Corsa Rosa’ in 2020, other than 9th in Liège.