"Too large gap in payment" blamed for scuppering triathlon star Kristian Blummenfelt's ambitious plan to win Tour de France by 2028, as coach rues "disadvantage of being the world's best triathlete"

The coach of Kristian Blummenfelt has suggested his rider's ambitious bid to switch to professional cycling to win the Tour de France by 2028 was brought down by a "too large gap in payment".

Last month, coach Olav Aleksander Bu revealed the headline-grabbing sport switch was on hold, little more than a month on from Bummenfelt and Bu turning heads with the pre-Olympic announcement that the Norwegian triathlon star was "90 per cent likely" to focus solely on cycling for 2025 and that they "won't go to cycling to retire, but to win".

What exactly Blummenfelt could win in pro cycling became a hot discussion topic instantly — the 30-year-old having tested for the highest absolute VO2 max (as opposed to relative VO2 max, which factors in weight) ever recorded in history, but sceptics doubting if it would really be possible for a 30-year-old to come into cycling and compete, let alone win, at the Tour de France... even if they are the 2020 Olympic champion in triathlon.

Bu believed the plan was "serious" enough and suggested his rider would "probably need a few years", but could aim to win the Tour de France by 2028, having learnt the ropes in 2025, made his Tour debut in 2026 and reached a position of being able to "take some jerseys" in 2027.

And while plenty shook their heads in disbelief, Tour de France stage winner and soon-to-be domestique for Jonas Vingegaard's 2025 yellow bid Victor Campenaerts warned the doubters that Blummenfelt "is not to be messed with" and could "immediately claim his place" in the peloton.

Campenaerts, who won stage 18 of this year's Tour de France from the breakaway into Barcelonnette, said: "Mentally, he is unmatched. If you think I am a professional idiot, I can guarantee everyone that I will not even reach his back wheel.

"After his Olympic title in Tokyo I sent a message to congratulate Kristian and asked them if he was going to rest now. He had taken one day to visit the Olympic village, one day to return home, and then he started training for the next goal."

Unfortunately for everyone invested in the high-profile sport switch, last month Bu revealed Blummenfelt won't be moving to cycling after all, the defending champion having endured a disappointing time at the Paris Olympics by his own lofty standards, finishing 12th and almost a minute behind gold-winning Alex Yee.

> Kristian Blummenfelt slams "amateurish" Olympic organisation after missing out on medal

"After the Paris review we have decided to aim for Los Angeles 2028," Bu told Velo last month. "Despite the results in Paris, we are more confident after the race that going back from Ironman to Olympics is possible. We want to give it one last shot."

And now, speaking to Tri247, Bu claimed the sticking point was the "too large gap in payment", the coach left to rue the "disadvantage of being the world's best triathlete".

Blummenfelt had been linked with a move to Australian WorldTour outfit Jayco-AlUla, while it was also reported earlier in the summer that the Norwegian's negotiations with another team had broken down over concerns about the squad's professionalism.

Campenaerts gave Het Nieuwsblad his glowing reference of Blummenfelt's abilities but also explained how he'd heard of negotiations with an unnamed WorldTour team breaking down "when they heard that the management of that team thought that riders also had a right to a week's rest and a few beers after a Tour de France".

"They didn't think that was the right team." Campenaerts said. "In other words: whichever team it is, they will have to want to go along with the story completely."

Also touching on one of the main criticisms of Blummenfelt's plan — namely the potential bike-handling gap he may need to bridge with the peloton — Campenaerts said of course they have considered this "because they are not stupid".

"He describes 2025 as the year in which they will seek out the limits – to ride through a corner as fast as possible until Kristian falls, for example. To go through the corner at the same speed next time without falling. His first race will also be crucial," Campenaerts said.

"Kristian will immediately claim his place, so that everyone understands that Blummenfelt is not to be messed with. He means business. His plan is too concrete not to be true."

Unfortunately for Campenaerts (and the rest of us keen to witness the sport-swapping experiment), that last sentence hasn't aged particularly well since.