Hushovd opens door to Vingegaard at Uno-X but sets one major condition

Thor Hushovd has once again opened the door to the possibility of bringing Jonas Vingegaard to Uno-X Mobility, revealing how outside financial backing could make an otherwise unrealistic transfer possible.

Speaking on TV 2's cycling podcast, the Norwegian made clear that signing Vingegaard, or fellow Danish star Mads Pedersen, remains an ambition.

"When someone asks if you'd like to get Jonas Vingegaard or Mads Pedersen on the team, it's a dream. I say yes, but I think every other team would say the same. It's impossible to say no," Hushovd said.

But there is one major obstacle: Vingegaard's salary.

"What I don't want to do with bringing in Vingegaard is pay his salary. It's pretty hefty. But what could be possible is bringing in a Danish company that wants to connect itself with Norway."

Vingegaard reportedly earns around €5 million annually at Visma | Lease a Bike. Against Uno-X's estimated €20 million budget, that would represent roughly a quarter of the team's entire annual spending.

It is not the first time the former world champion has spoken publicly about his ambition to bring Denmark's biggest names to Uno-X.

Last year, around the time the team secured its WorldTour licence, Hushovd floated the idea of building a Scandinavian superteam featuring Vingegaard and Pedersen. At the time, he suggested a major signing might become possible in the future, while stressing that his preferred approach was to develop a Grand Tour contender from within the team.

The link has been kept alive since by Magnus Cort, who rode for Uno-X until his retirement this season. Cort said in August that Vingegaard has always told him Uno-X would be his only choice if he ever left Visma, and on the Domestique Hotseat suggested the team could offer him “fresh air and a new start”.

However, any potential transfer remains firmly hypothetical.

Vingegaard is under contract with Visma | Lease a Bike until the end of 2028 and has previously indicated that he does not expect to change teams before retiring.

He also dismissed speculation linking him with Netcompany-Ineos earlier this year, while Visma have acknowledged ongoing discussions about how to balance his family life with the demands of racing at the highest level.