This is the second in a series of articles, The Green Breakaway, highlighting how signatories to the UCI Climate Action Charter are taking concrete steps to reduce their environmental impact and build a more sustainable future for cycling.
The Arctic Race of Norway
The Arctic Race of Norway (ARN) is a men’s professional four-day stage race held each August in northern Norway. First run in 2013, it is organised jointly by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company behind the Tour de France, and Arctic Sport, a regionally rooted event organiser based in Harstad. The race is part of the UCI ProSeries, the second highest division in professional road cycling, and draws both UCI WorldTeams and UCI ProTeams each year.
As the world's most northern professional cycling race, geography is central to ARN’s sustainability story. Taking place in one of the most remote corners of the European road cycling calendar, ARN has to charter flights from Brussels to bring riders and their equipment north, then issue each team a small fleet of vehicles on arrival: two cars, a nine-seater van, and a small truck. It is this direct control over the entire convoy that would ultimately allow ARN to become the first cycling race to transition to a fully electric fleet, despite the considerable logistical challenges posed by the far north.
This shift began in 2019, when ARN's official vehicle supplier insisted upon a transition to electric vehicles as part of their continued partnership. Soon however, what began as a contractual condition evolved into a long-term strategic direction for the race.
The charging challenge
Norway is the world leader in electric vehicle adoption; in 2025, around 96% of new cars sold nationally were fully electric. For ARN, the vehicles were never the obstacle, but charging them threw up a considerable challenge. While the south of the country benefits from a comprehensive charging network, northern Norway does not, and ARN required its own dedicated mobile infrastructure to avoid placing excessive demand on the existing possibilities.
The race organisers therefore initiated collaborations with local power providers in the Lofoten and Vesterålen regions where the 2019 race was due to take place. Together, they developed a system of mobile charging units capable of moving with the race from stage to stage. Three trailers were built and deployed for the 2019 edition. These units were designed not only for the event itself but also for continued use within the region, supporting other activities and contributing to longer-term infrastructure development. Crucially, the electricity powering every charging unit comes from the local grid, itself primarily powered by hydroelectricity.
Scaling up: from pilot to full electric fleet
In 2019, ARN deployed 45 electric vehicles, assigned to administrative staff as a pilot. They operated reliably throughout the event and attracted interest from participating teams who were keen to follow suit, supporting the gradual expansion of the fleet.
Following a pause in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of electric vehicles increased year on year: 65 in 2021, 91 in 2022, and in 2023, with 130 vehicles, ARN went fully electric. With this rapid expansion, the demand for charging capacity grew, and since 2021, a dedicated charging partner has supplied between 16 and 18 mobile charging units per edition. Managed by a team of ten to fifteen staff, these units support both the race itself and the overnight charging operation that ensures every vehicle is fully charged and ready for teams each morning.
Operational adaptation and race design
The conversion to fully-electric has prompted a re-evaluation of planning protocols to take into consideration vehicle range and the hours required to recharge. Conservative range calculations now treat a manufacturer-stated 450 kilometres as 300 in practice, accounting for race-day driving conditions and the weight of fully loaded team vehicles. Stage planning now incorporates vehicle range as a determining factor alongside traditional considerations such as sporting profile, safety, and host locations, with the viability of a given stage depending in part on the distances between its start, finish, and the nearest team hotels.
A broader sustainability framework
The use of electric vehicles is only one part of a broader sustainability effort that, in 2021, earned the race Eco-Lighthouse (Miljøfyrtårn) certification. This is Norway's most widely-used environmental management standard, recognised at European level and considered equivalent to international frameworks such as ISO 14001 and EMAS. Requiring systematic reporting across areas including energy use, waste management, procurement, and transport, this certification has functioned as both a benchmark and a planning tool, encouraging more critical assessment of supply chains and sourcing practices. This has contributed to a broader shift towards localisation. Materials such as signage, fencing, and stage infrastructure, previously transported annually from France, are now increasingly produced in northern Norway.
The race also draws on regional networks of volunteers and sports organisations, strengthening community engagement and supporting the transfer of operational skills into other local events.
Regional impact and long-term visibility
Beyond its immediate operations, ARN plays a broader role in the region it calls home. Northern Norway faces ongoing demographic challenges, with young people consistently leaving for the south, and events of ARN's scale and international visibility contribute to making the area a more attractive destination for both tourism and investment.
This broader impact has been recognised in other sectors. In 2025, the city of Narvik, which will host the finish of the 2026 ARN, was awarded the 2029 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, thanks in part to the connections and infrastructure set up by ARN.
A collaborative model for change
Following the full electrification of its core vehicle fleet, ARN now aims to follow suit for the approximately 65 vans and trucks used during the race. Efforts are already underway to source electric alternatives locally, and the first electric vans were introduced for the 2025 edition of the race.
ARN's journey towards full electrification was set in motion by a single partnership, and it is through collaboration - with energy providers, local authorities, and community organisations - that it has continually made progress.
Reflecting on this journey, Thibault Freté, Project Manager at Arctic Race of Norway, said “In our part of the world, if you take on a fight alone, you have high chances to lose. But if you unite and go together, you give yourself a real chance. And if something works in our little Northern Norway, it can work anywhere in the world."
About the UCI Climate Action Charter
The UCI Climate Action Charter, adopted in September 2022, is cycling's collective framework for environmental responsibility. By signing the Charter, organisations commit to making progress on eight key principles, including measuring and reporting their emissions to internationally recognised standards, reducing waste, prioritising renewable energy, promoting active and low-carbon travel, and protecting biodiversity - whilst having the opportunity to engage with other stakeholders in the cycling sector on various occasions such as dedicated webinars. The Charter is open to all actors in the cycling world: teams, event organisers, National Federations, broadcasters, and suppliers.
More information on the Charter can be found here. To become a signatory, click here.