Last summer 1,600,000 people lined Denmark’s roads to watch cycling’s biggest race – the Tour de France – whizz by, as the rest of the world marvelled at how crazy the usually-phlegmatic Danes can get about cycling.
Yet after three days of excitement, there was a sense of melancholy as the Tour headed south, leaving many Danish fans wondering when they might next see the best riders in the world fly by on home roads.
Well, according to DR their questions may be answered sooner than anticipated: from 2025 Copenhagen could host its very own one-day World Tour race to rival the biggest in the sport.
The race, which will be over 250 km long, finishing on a flat circuit in Copenhagen, will be one for the sprinters, such as Denmark’s Mads Pedersen.
World Tour wishes
The World Tour, the highest tier of cycling, attracts the biggest names in the sport and draws the biggest crowds.
Currently there is only one World Tour race in Scandinavia, the Tour of Scandinavia, which is exclusively for ladies.
The addition of a one-day World Tour race in Denmark to the men’s calendar would boost the country’s cycling reputation immeasurably.
Money matters
The proposal was presented by the mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, and Morten Anderson, the chair of Denmark’s Cycling Union.
They pointed out the importance of making money from the event, as financial difficulties often prove fatal for budding World Tour races.
But after last year’s enormous success with the Tour de France, the movers and shakers on Denmark’s cycling scene believe the timing couldn’t be better, and they are looking to strike while the iron is hot.
“There’s something magical about a bike race in Copenhagen, isn’t there?” said Tobias Hansen, DR Sport’s cycling commentator. “The streets and alleys are jam-packed with people. We saw that both at the start of the Tour last year and back in 2011, when the World Championships came to town.”
