Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and Michael Mørkøv selected for the Danish Olympic Games Road Race team

Denmark is currently one of the rising nations in the world of cycling at the moment, with back-to-back overall victories at the Tour de France in the last two years with Jonas Vingegaard.

However, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider could potentially miss out on selection for the Olympic Games Road Race this summer, despite the fact that he is the main reason why Denmark have four selection spots available for the race this summer.

In an interview back in November, Vingegaard indicated that he was interested in competing in Paris, as he said “I have told Anders that I am interested in riding. But he explained to me that it is not certain that I will be selected, even if I want to. I also understand that well”.

The current Danish squad is set to include Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and Michael Mørkøv, with the final spot on the roster still up for grabs, as it is set to be announced in early June.

In a press release by the Danish Cycling Union (DCU), the national team coach and selector Anders Lund said “I was in Paris last week to inspect the route and was completely blown away. There are lots of narrow streets on the final laps in Paris with a cobblestone climb up to Montmartre shortly before the finish. That route is really good for Mads, and I consider him one of the absolute favourites of the race”.

With the hilly course around Paris even being compared to a Spring Classic, it is clear why Pedersen and Skjelmose have been selected, with both riders impressing in the Flemish and Ardennes classics respectively over the last year or so. Given the route, the race could also finish in a bunch sprint, in which case Mørkøv would likely act as a leadout man for Pedersen, while also being the team’s road captain.

Mørkøv is already an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal on the track in the Madison alongside Lasse Norman Hansen in Tokyo three years ago. He also won a silver medal in the Team Pursuit at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. This year, he will be doubling up, riding on both the road and the track in Paris.

On the selection of the 38-year-old Astana Qazaqstan rider, Lund said that “the selection of Michael is based on a consideration of the overall Danish Olympic medal ambitions across the cycling disciplines. But having said that, Michael also has some really good skills on the road, which we will benefit from in Paris”.