Date
29.10.2026Categories
I’ve basically always had either skis on my feet or a bike between my legs. Summers belonged to the bike and winters to the skis. I grew up in Alta, and competitions like Offroad Finnmark and Skaidi Extreme became part of my life early on. Over time, I discovered that cycling was where my greatest talent lay. When I was confirmed in 2017, I spent all the money I received on my first proper mountain bike, a Scott Spark 900 RC Pro. That same year I took part in my first national championship and finished sixth. I think that was when I really began to understand that cycling could become something more than just a hobby.
The following summer, we traveled back and forth between Alta and Eastern Norway six times by motorhome so I could compete. It meant many miles on the road, a lot of time away from home, and a family that showed up for me. In 2019, I decided to move to Kongsvinger and attend the Norwegian College of Elite Sport. Over time, I switched from mountain biking to road cycling, and the results followed. Among other things, I took both second and third place at the Norwegian Championships. I had made up my mind. I was going to be a cyclist.
But it is not always the case that effort and results give you the opportunities you hope for. Despite strong performances, I never got the offers from professional road teams that I had been working toward. I tried my hand in Belgium for a summer, but realized it wasn’t right for me. So in 2023 I took the motorhome back to Eastern Norway and lived in it from April to September to keep competing. That year didn’t turn out the way I had hoped. I started wondering whether I should try something else, and track cycling had been on my mind for a while.
After a stay in China, I decided to give it one last shot. I moved to Stavanger and started training on the track. Six weeks later, in December 2023, I became Norwegian champion. It was a moment that changed a lot. Suddenly, I had found a new direction, and perhaps also a new opportunity to reach the dream I had carried with me for so long.
Since then, I have decided to go all in. I am going to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. That is my goal.
But such a commitment requires more than training alone. In 2025, I worked a lot as a carpenter to finance my sport. It is not always easy to combine a regular workday with training sessions, travel, and competition at a high level. It requires you to give up some things. Birthdays come and go, and hopefully there will be more leisure time later. Right now, I have decided to prioritize what means the most to me.
I think a lot of it comes down to being willing to give yourself an honest chance. To know that you have done your absolute best, no matter how the result eventually turns out. Because I don’t just want to perform on the bike. I want to find out how far I can push myself, both physically and mentally. Where my limits really are.
What Lives in Me?
That is perhaps the question that drives me most of all. I am also incredibly grateful for the people who believe in me and want to be part of the journey. Because even though I’m the one on the bike, there are many people who make it possible for me to keep going. Family, coaches, teammates, and partners who show up and give me the opportunity to keep pursuing this.
When Trasti & Trine wanted to join my team, I felt that we had something in common. Not because we do the same thing, but because I see people who truly burn for what they do. People who are passionate about developing themselves, who want to deliver their very best, and who put in the work required to succeed. I recognize a lot of my own attitude in that.
For me, it means a lot to have people behind me who understand that dreams do not happen on their own. That countless hours of work lie behind what others may only see as a result. That you have to dare to go for it, even when you don’t know how it will turn out.
The road to Los Angeles is still long. Many training hours, competitions, highs, and surely a few lows still lie ahead. I don’t know exactly what the journey will look like, but I know where I want to go. And maybe that is the most important thing of all. To dare to set a goal so big that it seems almost unattainable, and still get up every morning and work to get a little closer.
Every day is a new opportunity, and I give it 100%.
And one day I hope to stand there, look back on the journey, and know that I discovered what truly lives in me.
Tim Edvard Pettersen
