The first edition of
Copenhagen Sprint didn't go without its share of controversies and only a select few will remember the Danish race fondly.
Soren Waerenskjold won't be one of such people as the big man of
Uno-X Mobility burned through his matches too early in the race and only finished 10th in the end.
At the very least, he can be happy about staying upright which didn't apply for many women the day before. No wonder the Norwegian was not willing to fully commit at times with upcoming Tour de France in mind. "It was chaotic, I was a bit afraid sometimes," Wærenskjold said to
Domestique. "There was a lot of stop and go, but I managed to stay out of the crashes."
In particular the road furniture in capital of Denmark was a big topic: "The stones that go out to the side are quite wide compared to other countries," he said. "You're maybe used to riding 50 centimetres from the centre, but now you have to be closer to a metre from them."
The Norwegian found the markings of road furniture insufficient and therefore sometimes even dangerous. Understaffed race couldn't physically cover all critical spots on the city circuit in Copenhagen and small warning signs were not visible from a far. "They should have something taller so we can see it easier, like two metres tall instead of one metre," he noted.
Without Alexander Kristoff in Uno-X Mobility Tour de France selection, the 25-year-old will be the team's outright leader for bunch finishes, hoping to wear yellow after first stage in Lille. But there will be plenty other opportunities and perhaps even the final stage with new circuit which features the famous Montmartre could be for the Norwegian sprinter:
"I did it in the Olympics, so I know it's quite hard," he said. "But I think it could be a sprint, I hope."