How Drali-Repsol rebuilt after tragedy with landmark win and long-term backing

Drali-Repsol surprised a selection of the top WorldTour teams on the opening day of the Tour of Norway in May when Storm Ingebrigtsen held off a fast-closing peloton to claim stage victory in Solakrossen. Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) led the bunch home just three seconds down, but the stage and the leader’s jersey belonged to Ingebrigtsen and his team.

“The proudest moment for sure was this victory of Storm in May,” Drali-Repsol general manager Roy Hegreberg told Domestique. “It was emotional in many ways. I had tears in my eyes when I started talking about it now.” 

The powerful moment represented far more than just a race win. It was also a symbol of the team’s resilience in the aftermath of André Drege’s tragic death in a crash on the 2024 Tour of Austria. 

“It was the worst time of my life,” Hegreberg said of a tragedy that left the team questioning its future in the sport.

“It was something I never believed I would stand in, be a part of. And then it happened. But I think we handled it in a good way. We managed to stand in it, standing together.” 

Ingebrigtsen’s victory at the Tour of Norway carried additional resonance as André’s father was present at the race, volunteering as a driver for one of the Tour of Norway's organisation cars. The win came on a rainy Thursday afternoon in Solakrossen, creating what Hegreberg called “a very emotional thing” for everyone involved.

“There were so many emotions coming out that evening. Relieved, happy, proud that we have a team that really can fight with the big ones when everything goes our way,” he said.

Although still grieving a teammate and friend, the squad achieved notable sporting success over the past season, with three riders making the step up to professional teams for 2026. Ingebrigtsen will move to Uno-X Mobility, while Karsten Larsen Feldmann and Eivind Broholt Fougner are both headed to the Unibet Rose Rockets project. 

“That’s probably what I’m most proud of, that we are standing here now. We are fighting here,” said Hegreberg. “We managed to stand in the crisis we were in last year. So that’s something I’m very proud of being a part of and something that has defined our team.”

In October, meanwhile, it was confirmed that the team had secured its future for at least the next three seasons after Italian company Drali Milano signed a three-year agreement to become title sponsor of the Norwegian Continental team. 

The news was accompanied by a fascinating development for the team’s future, with Alexander Kristoff coming on board as co-owner from 2026. The Norwegian retired this year after a career that yielded 98 victories, including Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and stages at the Tour de France.