With seven new riders on a total of twelve riders, Team Hitec Products will have a new look in the 2021 season. A young group of riders, with an average age of 21 years and 4 months at this moment, is eager to show themselves. In the upcoming period, we talk with the new riders of Team Hitec Products. Starting with Martine Gjøs, who is actually not totally new, as she already joined the team in September. “I looked up to this team when I was younger.”
Talking to Martine, is talking to a rider who despite her young age (20) already has quite some international experience. As a junior she for example started in both the individual time trial as the road race of the world championships in Bergen (2017) and Innsbruck (2018). This year she made her debut at the senior race of the world championships in Imola. Martine: “I didn’t expected to race the worlds this year, so first of all I was very happy to be back in good shape after some years with injury. It was nice to race in Imola this year and also different to the races as a junior, as I got a very specific job to do for the other girls.”
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Those race for sure weren’t the first international experiences for Martine. As a Norwegian cyclist, you are more or less forced to race in other countries on a younger age. “There are not that many riders in Norway, so we have to go to Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands to race in bigger pelotons. I used to go to Sweden every summer, to race the U6 Cycle Tour, which is a six days stage race. And I also raced the Jeugdtour Assen in the Netherlands and a race in Denmark called the Tour the Himmelfart, where I won in my last year as a junior.”
Well-known teammates
It’s also because of racing from a younger race, that Martine already knows quite some of her team mates for next season. “I know all the Norwegian riders very well and I also know Caroline Anderson”, she says. “Pernille Feldmann, Amalie Lutro and I have raced against each other from we were around 10-11 years old, so we have many memories together. I am really grateful to be on the same team as them. As I joined Team Hitec Products in September already, I now did some races with other girls as well. I got a really good impression of the team.”
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Team Hitec Products was already a team that Martine, who studies economics next to cycling, knew very. “Of course I looked up to the team when I was younger. There is only one professional team in Norway and that is Team Hitec Products. I think the team is very important for Norwegian cycling. It is a small team where young talents can develop themselves.”
Dreams
Martine hopes to take advantage of the role the team has, if it comes to developing riders. She is ambitious towards the future, as she already told when she joined the team that she hopes to win international races. “I think every cyclist want to win the world championships one day”, she tells about her dreams. “But I also would like to win big one day races. Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Amstel Gold Race or Paris-Roubaix for example.” There is already one thing that Martine has in her advantage if it comes to that; “I am an all-rounder.”
