Danish cycling fans have had to wait a long time to see one of their countrymen win a Tour de France stage – Nicki Sørensen was the last to win almost a decade ago in 2009.
But the barren stretch came to a dramatic end following Magnus Cort’s triumph on the 15th stage yesterday.
Hailed as one of Denmark’s top talents in recent years, the 25-year-old was the only sprinter to remain in the small group of riders that had managed to break free of the main group (peloton) and eventually easily powered his way to victory in a sprint against two other riders.
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12th in history
Astana teammate Michael Valgren, who helped maneuver Cort into a position to win, came in fourth. Check out the final km of the race in the video below.
Jakob Fuglsang, also from Astana, is the top Dane in the overall classification, sitting ninth just over six minutes behind race leader Geraint Thomas.
Cort became just the 12th Dane in history to win a Tour de France stage, joining the likes of Nicki Sørensen, Bjarne Riis, Rolf Sørensen, Bo Hamburger, Michael Rasmussen, Jesper Skibby, Jakob Piil, Mogens Frey, Kim Andersen, Jørgen V Pedersen and Johnny Weltz.
In total, Danes have accounted for 19 stage wins in Tour de France history – with Riis and Rasmussen winning four each and Rolf Sørensen securing two.
