COMING UP: A FIRST-TIME SPRINT IN COPENHAGEN

It’s not often we line up for races that are completely new to everyone – no blueprint, no history, just a fresh battleground for the whole peloton. We had a taste of that earlier this year with the revived Sanremo Women, and now comes another debut on the calendar: Copenhagen Sprint.

Heading on a not-so-typical city trip to Copenhagen this Saturday, June 21, for CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto are Wilma Aintila, Zoe Bäckstedt, Chiara Consonni, Nastya Kolesava, Alice Towers, and Maria Martins.

Designed with sprinters in mind thanks to Denmark’s characteristically flat terrain, this brand-new Women’s WorldTour one-day race is a mouth-watering opportunity for fast-finishers like Chiara.

“Of course, the new races are something exciting and there’s always a special motivation to start and to see how the race will be, especially when it’s a World Tour race. I’m really excited to participate to this first edition.”

Chiara travels to Copenhagen directly from altitude training in Kuhtai, Austria, and will return to the mountains for a short stint after the race. It’s an arrangement that has worked well for her in the past.

“I’ve already done this in previous years, where during the training camp I do some races. I also know that this race is not my first goal – of course, it’s Giro and then Tour, but it’s good to taste the race feeling. I think that here with the other girls in altitude, we really are working strong and well together, so I’m really excited to now participate in this race.”

The 151 kilometre race-route spans across Zealand, Denmark’s most populous island, starting in Roskilde and meandering its way to the capital. It’s a constantly shifting course: narrow to wide, rural to urban, twist to turn. Rumour has it that the peloton will even bear witness to the stunning Frederiksborg Castle, provided they’re able to turn their gaze at the right moment.

Town sprint classification points punctuate the journey and while the course racks up nearly 800m of elevation, the rollers are short and steady – nothing that should cause any trouble.

The final 30km brings a distinct change in tempo, requiring heightened focus as the roads become wider and more direct during the lead-in to an 11km finishing circuit around the city. While the roads don’t narrow to true pinch points, they still call for strong technical skills and sharp awareness with over 15 corners to navigate in each of the three laps – including a blunted 180-degree turn. The final bend comes just under 1km from the line, setting up a fast run-in through the core of Copenhagen. The finishing stretch brushes past the Botanic Gardens and the National Museum of Denmark, with traffic islands and city fixtures adding to the complexity.

The more complicated, the better for Chiara.

“I think I prefer not an easy sprint – I’m really able to handle my bike well, so I prefer to have a more technical ending.”

It’s not the first time the Women’s WorldTour peloton has raced in Denmark, as the opening stage of the 2022 Tour of Scandinavia also started in Copenhagen. This time, however, the spotlight is on an entirely new event, and one that’s poised to make a big impact in the future. The women’s race is just one part of a full weekend that celebrates cycling: the men will take on their own inaugural WorldTour race on Sunday, the public can ride around the 11km finishing circuit, there’s an expo, and a political summit as well.

It sounds like Copenhagen is a great place to be for cycling enthusiasts this weekend.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Copenhagen Sprint | 1.WWT | Saturday June 21 | 151.1km | 792m elevation | Start 13:20 CET – fastest finish 17:05 CET.

Live coverage from 15:10 CET on DR TV (Denmark), Discovery Plus/ Eurosport and TNT Sports. Stay updated on X with #CopenhagenSprint, and follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto’s social channels for team updates.