Jensen Plowright celebrated and even gave his TV interview before a photo review reversed the result and handed the Tour of Denmark stage 2 victory to Wout van Aert.
Wout van Aert won in a photo finish at the Tour of Denmark. (Photo: Getty Images)
Updated July 31, 2026 04:20AM
Wout van Aert thought he’d lost and Jensen Plowright was convinced he won.
Turns out, nobody knew.
After one of the wildest photo finishes of the season, officials needed nearly 10 minutes to study the replays before awarding stage 2 of the Tour of Denmark to Van Aert.
“It was a chaotic finale,” Van Aert said. “I had to launch my sprint quite early. Plowright suddenly came alongside me in the final meters, and as we crossed the line I genuinely had no idea who had won. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
The Australian appeared to have timed his bike throw perfectly after exploding off the wheel in the final meters in Skive. Plowright even celebrated as he crossed the line and even Van Aert thought he’d lost.
Plowright was initially declared the winner and even gave his post-race TV interview before officials realized the first finish-line image was inconclusive.
A sharper high-resolution photo later showed Van Aert’s front tire crossing the line by a fraction of a millimeter to trigger the surprise reversal.
“Because of Plowright’s reaction, I was convinced he had taken the victory,” Van Aert said. “It wasn’t until we saw the photo finish that everyone realized just how close it really was. I’m incredibly happy the win went my way.”
Unlike some sports, cycling doesn’t do ties.
When a sprint is too close to call, officials turn to high-speed cameras capable of determining the tiniest sliver of daylight between two front wheels.
After the verdict finally came, Van Aert snagged the second win in as many days to continue his comeback from an elbow injury that forced him to miss the Tour de France.
The Belgian extended his overall lead to 14 seconds over Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) as the race heads into Friday’s queen stage in a lumpy, Flanders-style course.
“I think it will be a fair race,” Van Aert said. “The strongest riders will make the difference rather than tactics.”
Ashlin Barry is racing with the elite Visma-Lease a Bike team in his first European outing since winning the U23 U.S. national road title in June.
Modern Adventure Pro Cycling is also racing this week at the five-stage Tour of Denmark to kickstart its second half of its debut season.
Too close to call?