Team captain Chris Juul-Jensen gained 37 seconds on the majority of his GC rivals in Tour of Denmark after having initiated an attack in the finale. Finishing 2 seconds behind stage winner Lars Boom, Juul-Jensen notes that he is pleased with the time gained on the opening day. 

Tinkoff-Saxo’s Chris Juul-Jensen grasped the opportunity to get a good start in the fight for the overall victory, as the Dane detached from the main bunch on the opening day of Tour of Denmark.

“I think we stayed ahead of the events on this opening stage. It’s quite typical for the first stage of Tour of Denmark that there are gaps already after ten kilometers and this also showed that the bunch is ready to ride for real. It was a very fast start, where we averaged 49km/h. I think we took the right amount of responsibility and in the finale, where everything was back together, we first attacked with Breschel and then finally I went clear with a group of strong riders”, tells Juul-Jensen, who now sits sixth in the GC, before elaborating on the result:

“The final circuit was very technical and with the unpredictable Danish summer weather we had to stay alert in the corners. Lars Bak was obviously very strong and we had some riders in the group that had plenty to attend to in just staying with the group. I’m glad that I took some time on several other favorites - then I’m not a natural born sprinter, so I’m pleased with the result”.

The riders encountered rain on the opening stage of Tour of Denmark, which consisted of 180 potentially windy kilometers. However, the crosswinds failed to materialize and Tinkoff-Saxo shifted its focus to controlling the stage, tells team sports director Lars Michaelsen. 

“I want to praise the team for their effort today. They took initiative here in Denmark, where a big part of our squad knows the terrain and conditions very well. Michael Mørkøv is our road captain here and he showed that he is very capable of taking and managing the responsibilities of leading the team out there on the roads. Chris Juul-Jensen, our GC captain, took matters into his own hands after the team had worked together to reel in the breakaway and put him in a good position before the last laps in Holsterbro”, says Lars Michaelsen and adds:

“Chris then attacked and several strong riders like Boom and Bak followed suit. Then Boom counterattacked just before the sprint and took the win, but the team is definitely satisfied with the GC situation, as Juul gained 37 seconds on the main bunch. Now, we still have several stages before the TT, where much can happen, but we will aim to keep Chris at the front of the GC until the TT, where the riders will go toe-to-toe against each other”.

21-year old Michael Gogl got off to a good start, as the Austrian had his first race day as team stagiaire.

“It was a big experience to ride my very first stage for Tinkoff-Saxo. It’s a dedicated group of riders and the camaraderie is easy to feel. My objective was to help out to the best of my capabilities and I actually felt good and I think that I was able to contribute. It’s a big step for me and it’s exciting to team up with some of the big riders in the peloton. I’ll continue to fight and absorb as much as I can during the next stages”, finishes Michael Gogl.