Contrary to expectations, the start of the Tour of Denmark wasn’t decided in a bunch sprint but by the soloist Lars Boom (Astana).

The race from Struer to Holstebro covered 180 kilometers. It started very fast with many attacks and also stagiaire Gregor Mühlberger was part of an early breakaway. Shortly after, the peloton split and BORA – ARGON 18 took over the chase in order to close the gap again. This exhausting work took 40 kilometers. Only at the halfway point of the race, a six-man lead group was finally able to go clear. The breakaway was caught again at 17 kilometers from the finish, followed by many new attacks and again a group created a small gap. Boom made his decisive attack from this group in the last two kilometers. Sprinting from the main bunch, Phil Bauhaus finished the first stage in 9th place.

"Our tactic today was clearly designed for a bunch sprint with Phil. The team worked very well in this challenging and high-speed race. The guys were able to close the gap that was created by the early split in the field, almost alone. This shows that they are strong and cooperate well. Unfortunately, closing the gap cost a lot of power, which we missed in the finale on the dangerous lap. But Phil gave it a try in the sprint of the chasers and he showed that he’s capable of a better result in the coming days. For today we are pleased that we have come through these conditions without a crash“, Sport Director Steffen Radochla comments on the first stage.