Mostly known as a climber, Valerio Agnoli made use of some unusual skills to sprint to third in the first stage of the Tour of Denmark. The Italian saw an unexpected opportunity on the hilly circuit in Hobro and ended up on the podium.

Valerio Agnoli sprinted to a podium finish in a fishing village at the end of a fjord in the first stage of the Tour of Denmark. The Italian and his teammates rolled easily through the day, but faced challenges as the course turned into and out of the wind constantly, before a 3-lap cobblestoned circuit in Mariager.

A steep hill polished with heavy sea stones on the laps eliminated most of the pure sprinters, and Agnoli stepped in to the finale with a clear eye for the finish line.

In the end the current European Continental Calendar points leader Magnus Cort won his 11th race of the season in Mariager. Agnoli finished third and took the congratulations of thousands of Danes at the finish on the first day at the Tour of Denmark.

“The sprint went quickly," he said. "From a group of 40 on the final circuits I saw the chance with 300m to go and stayed to the side."