"I've trained the same as for the Classics": Tobias Lund Andresen sticks to proven approach with his Giro stage win bid

Tobias Lund Andresen approaches his Giro d’Italia build-up with sky‑high motivation after a superb spring campaign during which we saw Andresen transform into one of the world's best classics sprinters. The new Decathlon CMA CGM Team signing ahead of this season stepped up in absence of injured leaders Olav Kooij and Tiesj Benoot to win a stage at Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race to kick off the year, before a spree of top-10 results with 6th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 7th at Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, 6th at E3 Saxo Classic and cherry on top - second place at In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem.

But there's not much time for rest for the 23-year-old Dane, as new challenge awaits just around the corner. Sure, Andresen has already competed at the Giro d'Italia before (in 2024), but back then his main task was to get a grasp of three-week racing, and scored merely one top-5. Now, two years later, he's one of the sprint stars - alongside Jonathan Milan, Dylan Groenewegen or Paul Magnier.

After a few days at home to reset with his family, the Nordic rider arrives at Italy’s Grand Tour brimming with confidence. "Those results I’ve already delivered are really important for confidence heading into what’s next," he says firmly in an interview for IDLProCycling.

How did the Dane approach the final weeks of run-up to Giro? "I went back to Denmark for a while to spend time with my family, enjoy myself and get a mental reset," the Dane explains. "After that we went with the sprint group back to Spain for a training camp, to fine-tune ahead of the Giro and pick up the form again."

At the Giro, Andresen will have to prove his worth also in easier stages than Classics, however he changed little to his approach - which paid dividends this spring. "But I've mainly tried to stick to the basics and use the same approach as I did for the Classics - because I think that worked on both fronts."

And if all goes well, we could see Andresen take up the battle for Maglia Ciclamino: "If you're there anyway, you might as well go for it. You'd kick yourself in the final week if you're close but didn't do anything for it in the first week. You naturally go for it - though that will probably apply to just about every fast man."

To complete this quest, Andresen would certainly like to see a few hilly stages end up in a reduced sprint - without other fast men present - but organizers weren't were "helpful" in that regard this year.

On Italian roads, the team will balance ambitions by sharing leadership with Felix Gall for the general classification, but Andresen's ambition will not be backgrounded in the slightest:

"I get my guys too. We're going with the same lead-out train as at Tirreno-Adriatico, where it went really well. That's Oliver Naesen, Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen, and then Tord Gudmestad as the last man. I'm absolutely buzzing for it!"

Optimism runs high within the squad, and the rider makes no secret of his hunger to start the real fight for stage victories against the world’s best finishers. Backed by a team invested in his potential and boasting enviable form, the Nordic rider stands out as a prime candidate to disrupt the established sprint hierarchy in Rome.