The first names of Denmark's highly anticipated Zurich World Championships lineup have been confirmed, Ekstra Bladet reports information received from the Danish federation.
To noone's surprise, the Lidl-Trek duo Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose will headline the Scandinavian country during the road race. Former world champion Pedersen excels in ability to make the ends meet at almost any parcours, however the tough course in Zurich should most likely prove to be beyond his abilities. That, in no means, plays down Pedersen's importance in the lineup, as he'll be able to anticipate the race with long-distance attacks, preparing situation for his colleagues.
The other big name on the selection is Skjelmose who can be considered the designated leader, with his toolkit seeming almost tailor-made for the Zurich race. Though it remains to be seen if it'll be enough to challenge aliens Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel & co.
Denmark brings two strong teammates in Magnus Cort Nielsen and Michael Valgren. The latter made an impressive return from career-threatening injuries, but it's unlikely he'll find a scenario where he'll be able to repeat his bronze medal from Leuven. On the other hand Cort seems to be at his peak in August. However the Worlds are in a month's time and the less known fact about the 31-year-old Dane is that he rarely performs in one-day races. Third at Bretagne Classic last Sunday is that one exception that confirms the rule, right...
Denmark is allowed to bring up to eight riders for the road race and thus we should remain alert for more news. However one thing that is certain is that Jonas Vingegaard won't start in Zurich, having ended his season last week at the Tour de Pologne.
For time trial, Danish national coach picked Kasper Asgreen and three-time U23 world champion against the clock - Mikkel Bjerg. However things are yet to click for the 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider, who's yet to finish better than 9th last year in Glasgow. The two 4th places from European Championships (2022 and 2023) give a light of hope.
Denmark selection for the World Championships 2024:
Mads Pedersen
Magnus Cort Nielsen
Mattias Skjelmose
Michael Valgren
Kasper Asgreen (only ITT)
Mikkel Bjerg (only ITT)
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