The newest race on the WorldTour calendar rolls out on Saturday and Sunday as the Copenhagen Sprint returns. Given the name, it’s designed with the fast men and women in mind. The Danish one-day event offers sprinters a rare chance to battle for a dub at the highest level outside of a stage race.
Both men and women take on a route that begins in Roskilde, a city famous for its very old cathedral where dozens of Danish monarchs are buried. It then winds through the greater Copenhagen region and eventually reaching the Danish capital. The women race 156km, and the men do 228km.
City circuits will have a spicy finale
Once in the city, riders will tackle a short 10.5-km finishing circuit five times. The course is largely flat and lacks any significant climbs. However, the technical nature of the urban laps could still play a role in the outcome. There aren’t a lot of hills in Denmark, especially on the island of Sjælland.
Denmark is known for strong winds, so with plenty of powerful leadout trains in attendance, positioning will be critical before what is expected to be a high-speed sprint finish.
Canadians in Copenhagen
Several Canadians are heading to the land of Hans Christian Andersen, stinky cheeses and Lego. Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) and Alex Volstad of EF Education-Oatly are both riders who can have big days in Denmark with their incredible kicks. Coles-Lyster recently came damn close to a win at the Giro d’Italia Women, and Volstad had a top-10. As far as other favourites—speaking of the Giro—Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx – Protime) has to be the biggest and looking for a win after her controversial DQ.
There’s one Canuck in the men’s race, Pier-André Côté (NSN Cycling Team). However, the Swiss-based team is not entering fast man Biniam Girmay.
You can watch the race on Flobikes.com.
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