After the signing of Ann Helen Olsen, Team Hitec Products has signed two more young and talented Norwegian riders. Martine Gjøs (20) and Anne Dorthe Ysland (18) will join the UCI-team in 2020. Ysland is the current Norwegian road race and time trial champion and competed at the world championships in Yorkshire in 2019. Gjøs was the Norwegian road race champion in 2017 and competed at the world championships both that year and the season after.
“I am very happy and proud for this opportunity”, Ysland (photo top) says. “There’s no doubt that joining a UCI team, has been one of my biggest goals. I am sure that a team like Hitec Products will be a safe team, where I can develop and grow as a rider. I’m only 18, and my first season as senior will be next year. I know it’s a huge step up from juniors, and I want to learn as much as possible. Both from my teammates and the staff around.”
Gjøs, who is in her second year as an U23 rider and was third behind Team Hitec Products rider Pernille Feldmann in the finale stage of the Tour te Fjells in July, is also happy with the new step in her career. “Team Hitec Products seems like a great group of people that I’m looking forward to know better. The last year I have taken some steps, and I hope joining Team Hitec Products will help me to improve further as a rider and person.”
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Goals and dreams
Both riders look forward to start riding for the team in 2021. Ysland: “I am so excited, I can’t wait. Team Hitec Products is the the perfect next step for me, where I can take my time and focus on becoming better each day. I am still young, so I need years to learn and grow to give the big names in the peloton a good fight. My goal for the next few years, is to become a strong and robust rider, so I can reach a higher level. And of course I have a dream to one day ride with the rainbow jersey.”
Ysland isn’t the only one who is ambitious. Gjøs is as well. “In the future I hope to be able to win some of the biggest races”, she says about that. “Team Hitec Products already have a great race program. With a mix of smaller and bigger races, I hope to get stronger step by step. I am prepared to help the team in the races, but also hope for some chances to prove myself.”
Progress
Karl Lima, team manager of Team Hitec Products, is happy to get both riders on the 2021 team. “Martine we have been following the last years. We’ve seen her steady progress and she is a natural target for us for 2021. Anne Dorthe already had an incredibly good season so far as a junior and we want to make sure she is taken good care of in her first elite season.”
Photo top: Screen Story/TV 2