In the Tour of Denmark TT, Mads Würtz Schmidt (Virtu Pro) came out on top for the second year in a row, beating Lars Boom (Astana) by 8 seconds and Martin Toft Madsen (Almeborg Bornholm) by 9 seconds. Michael Valgren (Tinkoff) was fourth and extended the overall lead.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Mads Würtz Schmidt: I wanted to prove that yesterday was just an off-day

“I'm very happy and very proud. It's a really good comeback after yesterday. I had to go out and prove that Friday was an off-day. I think I am the happiest man in Denmark. It's crazy," Würtz Schmidt said.

“I cannot remember what happened. I was completely spent. I couldn’t see anything and they had to catch me at the finish. I just had to get back my consciousness.

 
“I had high expectations and felt good this morning. I am in great form, so I just had to pull myself back up. I did so and it was a pleasure.

“I did my best time trial this year and felt that I could get far with that time. I was pretty sure that only Michael Valgren (Tinkoff) could beat me.

 

"I think that I was going fast throughout the race and I was only four seconds behind Boom at the intermediate check. Then I just gave it everything in the finale to take back the time that I needed and I really went full gas. It was absolutely perfect.”

"The GC was a goal but the time trial was too and I got what I wanted. I was a little nervous whether I could repeat it, but I had good legs out there so it was a great TT

"I am back in GC contention and am in a comfortable third place. Now I have to be be on the podium in the Frederiksberg.”

 

Lars Boom: Finally I got back to my level

“I’m happy with my race,” said Lars Boom at the end of Nyborg time trial. “Finally I got back to my level and I was close to victory.”

 

Lars Boom finished in second place just eight seconds behind the winner Mads Würtz Schmidt. In the General Classification, Laurens De Vreese is eighth at 1:41.

 

"Lars went really strong,” said sports director Dmitri Sedoun. “He missed very little since whe as still the best at the intermediate time check.”

 

Michael Valgren: Bonus seconds can still destroy the party

Michael Valgren put in a solid performance in the fourth stage individual time trial at the Tour of Denmark to take fourth on the day, just 10 seconds down on the race winner. With his ride, Valgren successfully defends his overall race lead going into tomorrow’s final stage.

 

“We finished with three guys in the top ten with Valgren, Boaro and Benna and Valgren defended his lead which was the goal so we can be happy,” explained Sport Director Lars Michaelsen after the stage. "Valgren did a solid ride, very smooth and led through the second split but in the final section he lost some time. The winner is a specialist so it was a good performance again today.”

 

The race’s only individual time trial covered a distance of 19.6km over a mainly fast, flat route, proved by the winning average speed of over 50kmh. With Pavel Brutt setting a strong early time for the team to give benchmarks for the others later in the day, the guys set about putting in strong performances across the board.

 

Daniele Bennati rode another strong time trial after his top 10 finish in the time trial at the Tour of Poland to place 10th on the stage, with teammate Manuele Boaro going one better in ninth. All eyes were then on Valgren to see how he could fare, and how the efforts of yesterday would sit in his legs.

 

He set a strong time through the first time split and then led at the second by just one second, however the hard efforts of the past days caught up with him in the final kilometres and he eventually came over the line with a time of 23’22”, placing fourth.

 

Michaelsen continued:

 

“Valgren missed the podium by a tiny amount today, fading and losing a few seconds through the final corners, but this doesn’t matter as the goal was to defend his race lead which he did. Gogl also did a good ride to hold onto fourth overall.

 

“Valgren now has 12 seconds over second place, and although there are bonus seconds available during the stage normally there should be a break to take these. However, we are ready to give everything and will only relax when it’s all over. There’s still a lot to concentrate on tomorrow.”

 

"I believe that they (the Danish spectatours, ed.) think it is cool that a Dane wins and that I have done the Tour de France where they've watched me on TV. It might make it even bigger this year because last time I was not as well known among the not so hardcore cycling bike fans in Denmark, but I be might now.

 

"I only have 12 seconds so a stage win for Magnus [Cort] and some bonus seconds along the way will take the lead away for me. Anything can happen, but I have a good team with me. We are only seven riders but we are good enough to make it home safely.

 

"Now I just looked at the past winners and have seen that Fuglsang has won three times, and then Kurt Asle Arvesen, Ivan Basso and Cancellara have also won. So it's a race that great riders have won, and I would like to try to see if I can win again. "

 

Tomorrow’s final stage sees the riders tackle 175km over a rolling parcours that covers ten finishing circuits, but without any major difficulties on this circuit, it could well be another day for a sprint.

 

Marcin Bialoblocki confirms his TT potential in Denmark

Marcin Bialoblocki was the first to roll off the start ramp for ONE Pro Cycling setting a time of 23’24” securing 5th position, 12 seconds down on the stage winner and U23 World Champion Time Trialist Mads Wurtz Schmidt (Virtu Pro Veloconcept).

 

The Danish riders put in a solid effort over the technical and grippy course, with Martin Mortensen recording a time of 24’43” and placing just outside the top 30, while Sebastian Lander clocked in at 26’39” and John Ebsen was close behind in 27’10”. The youngest member of the team Tom Baylis put in a solid effort in 25’02” only 1 minute and 50 seconds behind the World Champ.

 

Unfortunately luck wasn’t on the side of either Kristian House or Chris Opie as both riders suffered mechanicals as they negotiated the course, forcing them to stop and watch their time slip away while they waited on assistance.

 

Sick Jos van Emden out of contention in Danish time trial

Martijn Keizer finished eighth in the fourth stage of the Tour of Denmark this afternoon. The Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider lost 29 seconds to stage winner Mads Würtz Schmidt in the time trial. Jos van Emden started his race sick and vomited halfway through his race, still finishing 20th.

 

“We were counting on better results than this,” Sports Director Jan Boven said. “Jos van Emden was already a little bit sick last night and woke up in bad shape. It went quite well during his warm up and he started his time trial strongly as well, but after around six kilometres, he had to vomit. He lost his focus afterwards, clearly.”

 

“Martijn Keizer was good, but not superb. Something like that could happen after a training camp at altitude. He went on a training camp with another goal in mind. He wants to be good in the Vuelta, so this result is about making choices, as well.”

 

Keizer was still disappointed after his race.

 

“I wanted more than this eighth place,” he added. “I wasn’t superb yesterday already so I could have seen it coming a little bit. It’s not bad, but I’m not satisfied at all. I’m preparing for the Vuelta, but I thought that I would be able to come closer to the top three today.”

 

Bora-Argon 18 with three goals in final stage in Denmark

Again the Portuguese Road Champion José Mendes was the best BORA – ARGON 18 rider of the day. He did the course in 24:01 which was the 11th best time of the day.

 

It was also a great ride from Christoph Pfingsten who crossed the line in 24:13 and 18th place. He moved up to superb 5th place in the GC! The consistent strong efforts in the last days now pay off for the team’s all-rounder.

 

For tomorrow’s last stage the main goal now is to protect his great overall result in a tight race with just 25 seconds between 4th to 10th place. Also the battle for the KOM jersey is close. Lukas Pöstlberger sits in 2nd place just 4 points behind the leader with 40 more points to take in tomorrow’s stage.

 

“It will be a busy day for us tomorrow. We want to work for Phil Bauhaus in the expected bunch sprint, but also need to be concentrated on the great overall result of Christoph. We really don’t want to lose any seconds in crosswinds or something like that, so the team will support him as good as possible. Then also Lukas can fight for the KOM jersey and we will try to help him to get in the right break. So there is really a lot to do and it will be an interesting stage. If things work out well it could be a successful day for us,” Steffen Radochla, sports director, said.

 

Bad luck for Stölting and Rasmus Guldhammer in Danish time trial

Today’s 19.6 km individual time trial wasn’t a good day for Team Stölting Service Group at the Tour of Denmark (2.HC). In the end, Mads Pedersen was the team’s best-placed rider in 14th place. Rasmus Guldhammer started well but was held back by a puncture and lost a substantial amount of time. Alexander Kamp had himself predicted that he wouldn’t be able to keep his podium place and is now seventh overall.

 

Michael Carbel was the team’s first starter. Despite spending the stage in the break yesterday, he rode a decent time, stopping the clock after 26:08 minutes. Thomas Koep followed with 26:21 minutes, then it was the turn of Alex Kirsch. Third in the Luxembourg ITT championships, he was the team’s first rider to stay below 25 minutes, finishing in 24:42 minutes. Michael Reihs, far from a time trial specialist, took it easy and raced the course in 28:26 minutes.

 

Fabian Wegmann stopped the clock after exactly 26:00 minutes; only the three Danes that had made the race for Team Stölting Service Group in the preceding days remained. Mads Pedersen put in a good time with 24:09 minutes which was good enough for 14th place in the end, 57 seconds slower than stage winner Mads Würtz Schmidt (Virtu Pro – Veloconcept) who took over the third place in the general classification.

 

Rasmus Guldhammer had the pre-race goal of defending his GC position with a good time trial. Things started off well when he was only five seconds slower than Pedersen at the first time check after 8 km. But moments later Guldhammer suffered a puncture. The bike change took a minute and a half, ruining all chances for a good result. He eventually finished in 25:38 minutes, dropping back to 21st place overall. The team’s last starter was Alexander Kamp. He showed a good performance for his abilities and placed 36th with a time of 24:55 minutes. Kamp is now seventh in the overall classification, 1:40 minutes behind Michael Valgren (Tinkoff) who defended his lead.

 

“Rasmus was on a good run,” said Sports Director André Steensen after the time trial. “4 km into the course, he was only four seconds slower than Mads Pedersen, and at the first official time check it was five seconds, so things looked good. But then he punctured, and the bike change went completely wrong. That was a shame, who knows what might have been possible otherwise.”

 

Difficult time trial for Novo Nordisk in Denmark

Team Novo Nordisk’s Chris Williams was the team’s best-placed rider, 2:37 behind Schmidt.

 

“The course ran a lot faster than it looked during recon,” Williams said. “The course had dried out and you could go full speed everywhere except through the forest.”