Mads Würtz Schmidt (ColoQuick) confirmed that he is destined for a great future when he took a surprise victory in the Tour of Denmark time trial. The former junior world champion covered the 13.6km course in Helsingør in 15.45 which was 15 seconds faster than Christopher Juul Jensen (Tinkoff-Saxo) who moved into the race lead.

Four years ago Mads Würtz Schmidt grew to fame in Denmark when he became a surprise junior world time trial champion on home soil. Since then, he has mostly stayed out of the spotlight but today he proved that he is ready to hit the biggest scene.

Würtz Schmidt surprised most when he won the Tour of Denmark time trial, again claiming a big win in his home country. This time the win was even more prestigious as he beat several professional riders on his way to the win.

"I hadn't seen this coming. It's crazy," he told CyclingQuotes at the finish. "It proves that I have improved my level and that I have got back up to speed in the time trials. I am very pleased with that.

"This is my biggest win ever. It is far better than everything else. I just went full gas all the way. I had something extra on the way back and made sure that the speed never dropped below 55kph. And then I just pushed the pedals."

Now Würtz Schmidt sets his sights on the U23 World Championships.

"It is definitely a goal," he said. "But it is hard to say whether it's possible to win. I have to be at my very best and then I will be in contention for the medals.

"I haven't been selected yet but I expect to get selected for the time trial."