Yesterday the Danish national road race championships were held on a 209 kilometer undulating course in Rønde where the biggest Danish names were battling for the red and white national jersey. CULT Energy Pro Cycling were on the start line with seven riders, Michael Carbel, Rasmus Guldhammer, Michael Reihs, Mads Pedersen, Rasmus Quaade, Troels Vinther and Martin Mortensen. The latter eventually conquered silver.

CULT Energy Pro Cycling’s Michael Reihs was off to a flying start and launched the morning breakaway with six companions and quickly worked up a lead of more than nine minutes. On the hilly course, the peloton exploded rather early and eventually a chase group consisting all favorites including CULT Energy’s Guldhammer, Carbel, Mortensen, Vinther and Quaade was established.

From then on, it was an intensively exciting race with constantly new attacks and suddenly Rasmus Guldhammer broke clear from the group with Magnus Cort (Orica-GreenEdge), Alexander Kamp (ColoQuick), Chris Juul-Jensen and Michael Mørkøv (Tinkoff-Saxo). But just as everyone thought this was the crucial break, the cards were reshuffled. This time CULT Energy’s Troels Vinther was part of a move with Magnus Cort and Asbjørn Kragh who refused to pull.

However, it was a complete chase group catching the front group with Michael Reihs with 40 kilometers to go and soon, Michael Carbel launched a stinging attack with an attack from the distance. Behind, Tinkoff-Saxo were controlling the chase and they caught him with 25 kilometers to go and the front group was now reduced to ten riders.

Here, CULT Energy Pro Cycling’s Martin Mortensen was set back by a puncture and had to dig deep to bridge the gap to the front group but when it happened, he followed Chris Anker Sørensen in the crucial attack. The experienced duo made it the uphill finish where Sørensen refused to pull. Mortensen launched an early attack and looked like a winner but in the very final meters, the Tinkoff-Saxo rider managed to go past and take the glory.

Martin Mortensen states:

“I’m hugely disappointed. I’ve done the national championships quite a few many times in my career and the top step of the podium was the only target for me so of course it’s devastating being this close. I had a puncture within the final 25 kilometers and Michael Reihs unselfishly offered me his wheel so I had a chance of making it back. Naturally, it took some of the fuel in the tank this late in the race to make my way back but I believed in the win all the way in to the finish line. I guess I felt a little too sure of it and opened a long sprint and was then passed on the final meters.

"However, as a team I think we delivered a solid performance and we were represented in all the moves up front. Hats off for Chris Anker who rode a very strong race. Now, I need a few days off and then start the build-up for the second part of the season."