PREVIEW | Tour of Denmark Stage 2 – Can Mads Pedersen hold off Jasper Philpsen in a day for the sprinters?

From the 12th to the 16th of August the peloton will be in Denmark for the Tour of Denmark, and tomorrow it is time for stage 2. After a dramatic opening day, the sprinters will once again be eyeing glory in what should be one of the fastest (and shortest) stages of the race. We preview stage 2.

Stage 1 saw the home hero Mads Pedersen make a triumphant return to his homeland, taking the win after a relentlessly aggressive ride alongside his Lidl-Trek teammates. The opening day’s decisive move came from a select group of nine riders, and in the sprint to the line it was no surprise to see Pedersen unleash a dominant kick, finishing ahead of Lukas Kubis and Conrad Haugsted. The result puts him into the race lead after just one day of racing, and he is looking in strong form for the Vuelta later this month.

Stage 2 takes the peloton from Rodovre to Gladsaxe. It’s a completely flat day with little to note in the way of elevation, meaning the outcome will almost certainly come down to a bunch sprint. The finale features a three-lap circuit around the host town, with the last lap leading directly into the finish line.

At just 110 kilometres in length, the stage is short and should be furious from the flag. The only real threat to a textbook bunch sprint would be strong winds breaking the peloton apart, but in calm conditions it will be the fast men who get their chance to shine.

*** Jasper Philipsen

** Mads Pedersen, Soren Waerenskjold

*Fabio Jakobsen

Pick: Jasper Philipsen

How: Bunch sprint