Jordi Meeus was fastest when the Copenhagen Sprint was settled in a sprint ahead of the National Gallery of Denmark. The rider from Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe relegated the two Frenchmen Alexis Renard and Émilien Jeannière to the other podiums, while Tobias Lund Andresen was the best Dane in 5th place.
Jordi Meeus won the first edition of the World Tour race Copenhagen Sprint on Sunday. After 235 km from Roskilde over the North Zealand roads, the race was decided in a mass sprint, where Jordi Meeus relegated Alexis Renard and Émilien Jeannière to the other podiums. Best Dane was Tobias Lund Andresen from Team Picnic-PostNL in 5th place.
Jordi Meeus was happy about the victory in Copenhagen, which he calls one of his biggest victories:
“It’s definitely one of my biggest victories. I had a good win a few days ago (in the Tour de Suisse, ed.), so I’m super happy that I can go home with another one. This is my first win in a World Tour one-day race, so it means a lot,” says Jordi Meeus.
Although there were several breakaways along the way, it was a victor who focused on himself and his sprint:
“I wasn’t actually too nervous that the breakaway would hold up – I just focused on myself and on doing the best possible sprint. I’m really happy that I was able to take the victory,” he says, adding that he enjoyed the good atmosphere along the route – and especially on the circuit in the heart of Copenhagen.
The 235 km started in Roskilde and went around North Zealand via Frederikssund, Hillerød, Farum, Hillerød and Ballerup, before the peloton after 181 km hit the circuit in Copenhagen in Nørrebro.
The trip was marked by a five-man breakaway with, among others, the two national team riders Mads Andersen and Joshua Gudnitz. However, the breakaway’s distance was controlled by the peloton, which got closer and closer towards Copenhagen, so when the riders hit the circuit in Copenhagen, the lead was less than a minute.
Inside the 11 km long circuit in Copenhagen, there were diligently attempts to wreak havoc and ruin the sprinter’s party, and a new five-man breakaway with, among others, Mads Andersen and Casper Pedersen from the national team was long out ahead.
However, the race was controlled by the sprinter teams, and for a long time it looked like a total mass sprint, before a crash just before the riders crossed the finish line for the last lap spoiled the chances of winning for the pre-favourite, Olav Kooij. In the crash, several of Mads Pedersen’s important leadout riders were also caught. In the end, the first edition of the World Tour race was to be decided in a sprint between the fastest sprinters back in the peloton on Sølvgade in front of the National Gallery of Denmark, and here Jordi Meeus was fastest.