The Vuelta a España has had a Norwegian leader since Thursday. The 30-year-old climber Torstein Træen of Bahrain Victorious finished second behind Jay Vine in Andorra, but that was enough to take over the red leader’s jersey. That is a welcome change, as Træen has not yet signed a contract for 2026 and beyond. But there is a bigger story behind him: testicular cancer. He revealed it earlier this year to WielerFlits in the Alpecin Barbershop.
For the Norwegian, the Vuelta is a bit of a home race as he lives in Catalonia. One of the biggest challenges in his career was the 2023 Tour de France. Shortly before, he had finished impressively eighth in the Critérium du Dauphiné, which had given him plenty of confidence heading into his Tour debut. But during the first stage to Bilbao, he crashed heavily. Træen broke his elbow. “I had pretty high expectations for that Tour. But as the race went on, I realized: ‘Ah, not a single day is going to go well’.” Yet he did finish the Tour: 95th overall.
Cancer discovered during doping control
But the story — and the biggest challenge — of his life happened a year earlier. “Looking back, it’s quite funny,” Træen laughs. “At the time, of course, it wasn’t. After a doping control, I got a call back from someone at the UCI. They said I’d tested positive because there was something in my body. The strange thing was that the person said I needed to go to the hospital. So I said, ‘What do you mean, the hospital?’. They emphasized it again. I called my doctor and he also said, ‘Yes, we have to go to the hospital.’ But there they saw nothing.”
Træen just before the unsettling new development in the Tour of the Alps - photo: Cor Vos
It’s late April 2022. A few days earlier, Træen had won the mountains classification in the Tour of the Alps and had finished a strong ninth in the Tour of Catalonia at the end of March. In hindsight, rather his breakthrough. “I went home with nothing resolved. Two weeks later I had another pretty funny day. A friend of mine was visiting. He said about the whole situation: ‘That doesn’t look good, does it?’. I laughed because I was relieved that nothing was found at the hospital. Until I got another phone call.”
“Doping controls are now free cancer checks”
On the other end of the line was again the hospital. “We don’t yet know if you have cancer, but we recommend removing one of your testicles. That was less pleasant. I then had surgery, and they found that there indeed was a tumor in the testicle. Fortunately, it was benign. I was not allowed to ride for two weeks, and after that I could start training again.” Eventually, Træen returned to racing in August during the Baltic Chain Tour. In the autumn, he finished seventh in the CRO Race and a commendable third in the Tour de Langkawi.
Same year on the podium in Langkawi, alongside Iván Ramiro Sosa (winner) and Hugh Carthy - photo: Cor Vos
We get to know the Norwegian in the barber’s chair as a relaxed person who loves humor and takes a lighthearted approach to such serious matters. Since he undergoes multiple doping controls annually as a rider, it wouldn’t be surprising if the 2022 discovery caused him ongoing anxiety. “No, not at all! I always say they’re free cancer checks for me, haha! I tell my doctors that too, because of course I have to undergo cancer screenings. I often suggest rescheduling those appointments because as a rider I have so many doping tests.”
New life motto
Træen points out that he will always know quickly if something is wrong. “I definitely take it lightly. That’s my way. In the end, it’s not so bad. It could have been much worse. You have to see the humor in it. When you think of how things went, it’s actually quite funny, isn’t it? At Uno-X Mobility, for example, there was a mental coach I could talk to, but I hardly used it. I had friends and family for that. Everyone processes things differently, but I handled it well.”
A photo of Træen earlier this Vuelta sums up well how he dealt with the situation - photo: Cor Vos
“I now enjoy life more,” continues the Norwegian — who is a big fan of Wout Poels’ humor. “Cycling can be a tough world. You’re away from home a lot and make many sacrifices to get the best out of yourself. After getting cancer and beating it, I now also enjoy the tough moments. ‘It can always be worse’ has become my life motto since then.”
Always keep laughing, then. Less funny is the Norwegian’s future. His contract with Bahrain Victorious is expiring. His manager confirms to WielerFlits that he has not signed a deal beyond 2025. The longer he rides in red, the sooner that will happen.
Torstein Traeen| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2027 | |
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 |
