As many as 40,000 spectators and cyclists were in Trondheim over the weekend for a L’Etape race on Saturday. Local officials were also trying to impress organizers of the race, an amateur event tied to the Tour de France, in the hopes Trondheim can host an opening of the Tour itself in 2030.
That’s when Trondheim will be celebrating 1,000 years since a famous battle at nearby Stiklestad, which played a major role in the eventual formation of Norway as a united and Christian country. There will also be a national celebration around that anniversary, but Trondheim officials hope it can be a reason for the Tour de France to open in the historic Norwegian city.
Norwegian cyclist Thor Hushovd, who can claim 10 lap victories at the Tour de France during his career, was also in Trondheim for the L’Etappe race that ran from Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral and through Skaun and Melhus. Hushovd supports the effort to snare a Tour opening in Trondheim, telling state broadcaster NRK that “it must be allowed to dream big.”
Not everyone, however, may be as enthusiastic over a bike race that closed 130 kilometers of roads in and around Trondheim during the weekend, and the traffic disruptions that entailed. Trondheim also lost millions on its hosting of last year’s skiing world championships, so financial risks loom as well.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
