Søren Wærenskjold denies sprinters in solo move on stage 1 of the Tour of Denmark

Søren Wærenskjold launched a late solo attack to power to victory on stage 1 of the 2023 Tour of Denmark, denying the sprinters their chance at the win.

The race starts off with an explosive day in Aalborg. 170 kilometers in distance, it could on paper be a day for the sprinters but there are definitely opportunities for other riders to be able to surprise. Every day could see a decisive move for the overall classification and here there is a chance to anticipate the competition.

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Six riders went up the road, forming the break of the day, Sébastien Grignard (Lotto Dstny), Wessel Krul (Human Powered Health), Filippo Ridolfo (Team Novo Nordisk), Nicklas Amdi Pedersen (Team ColoQuick), Mads Østergaard Kristensen (Leopard TOGT Pro Cycling) and Kristian Egholm (Restaurant Suri - Carl Ras).

With 97km to go, Kristensen had already become disenchanted by his company, launching a solo attack. Not long after though, a flat tire brought him sheepishly back into the breakaway.

Heading into the final 20km, the break had long been reeled in but the peloton was not all together. One of the pre-stage favourites Mads Pedersen was out the back after an ill-timed mechanical.

Being left to his own devices by the Lidl-Trek team, Pedersen was putting a lot of effort into trying to get back into contact.

As the pace lulled upfront ever so slightly, Pedersen was back in the bunch. How much had the chase back taken out of his legs however?

As the attacks continued with riders not wanting to wait for a sprint, the front group was getting smaller and smaller with Fabio Jakobsen being distanced.

With the road flattening out though, it all began to come back together, ready for the final few kilometres.

Making one final solo attack though, Søren Wærenskjold launched an incredibly powerful move and entered the final kilometre with a minor 9 seconds advantage.

And he managed to hold on, taking the win and gaining a time gap in the general classification ahead of the coming days.

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Tim Bonville-Ginn

@TimBonvilleGinn

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What a win for Søren Wærenskjold 🇳🇴! Looks like Jakobsen 🇳🇱 pipped Pedersen 🇩🇰 to the line for 2nd #PNDKR23

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