2023 Danmark Rundt - Tour of Denmark - 15/8-19/8 (2.Pro)

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Kridtbakken and Rebildbakken are some of the best hills if not the best hills in the area. Once upon a time, I won the KOM on Rebildbakken in the legendary race Rold Rundt, a 110 km race which ended on top of Rebildbakken and descended Kridtbakken just before. I won a helmet, some pink sunglasses and a jersey. Netserk would have hated me that race, that's all that I can say. I didn't win the race, but it was my best performance ever in a race (not a real 'race', "motionsløb" in Danish, I don't know what the proper translation is).
Kridtbakken is my favorite though, its much steeper, but shorter obviously. When you're on form on these long group rides, its amazing, but thats a few years back..... This first stage is literally using all of my former and present roads. Love it. Kridtbakken always hurts, but yeah, probably won't too much damage to these riders.

The NC-circuit is a classic. If Im not mistaken, they rode a somewhat similar circuit in 2018 when WVA rode for Crelan. I have told this story a hundred times, but I had a 10 min talk with the guy and told him to go for it at Skovbakkevej. I don't think he did. I also told him he would win Roubaix one day, he smiled, but we all know the story. That circuit was easier though, it didn't include Nordtoft, and this one does. It won't be carnage alá 2022 and 2023, this is a stage race after all, but these hills are hard enough for the best riders to actually make a difference I think, even in a stage race with less repetitions.

I will be at Annebergvej tomorrow at the finish after having watched the race on Skovbakkevej in 2022 and 2023. This is right up Mads Pedersens alley, and if he doesn't win, Skjelmose probably will. They are the major favorites for this stage and literally every other stage as well.
Very pleased with your sharing!

I really miss Aalborg, think I have to take my little family a visit there very soon.

Myself lived at Annebergvej half a year during my Kridtbakken training camp period just before my uni study era (during an excellent stay at Aalborg Sports High School).

It was also as runup to my Sports High School stay I as an inexperienced young apprentice, succeeded in contracting tendinitis after some running up and down Frydendalsvej and Fasanvej, not far from the college I lived in, just before I moved to Annebergvej

Hope you get a good spot - and that peleton is not at speed by then (presumable not, it's the prerace run-up section, right?), myself since forever have preferred at least small uphill section for a view spot.
In fact as a life long hill hunter I got to defeat like every hill worth conquering in the entire municipality. Which was quite a mouthful, as Aalborg Municipality in terms of area by that time being Denmark's largest.

Still in grieve I didn't take the opportunity participating Rold Rundt back then, as a yungster being in tremendous forum (30 years and +20kgs later still going KOM attacks now and then), at my present job some 10 years ago heard so much good about this ...what do you call it in English..."excersize race"? (forgot the official term of "motionscykelløb"). As I understand this race has been revived now in another form and distance?

I raced for myself in my spare time concurrently with some spare time competition rowing, and when I moved to Aalborg also enjyed the beautiful sea side opportities there.

Later during late 90ies I moved southern and participated my first 'motionscykelløb', by then "Tour of South Jutland", stupid as I was I took the longest distance 280k as my virgin race, but turned out excellent with last 70-80k gran finale being the east coast hill climbs right from Aabenraa to finish village Aller, worth all my "I'm gone. I'm Dead" monents.

Next race was my now allt-time favourite race "Grejsdalsløbet", and just post race spoke to local organizers VCM and about ideas why the heck Tour of Denmark didn't take the opportunities in Vejle and now decades later I'm just thrilled that alot of work for this have prevailed since.

Now Vejle just needs a prime WT one day race, and I'm happy.
 
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Still in grieve I didn't take the opportunity participating Rold Rundt back then, as a yungster being in tremendous forum (30 years and +20kgs later still going KOM attacks now and then), at my present job some 10 years ago heard so much good about this ...what do you call it in English..."excersize race"? (forgot the official term of "motionscykelløb"). As I understand this race has been revived now in another form and distance?

Rundt om Rold - a "recreational race" - has existed for several years now. :)
 
Anyways, who else will be on the route? Not necessarily tomorrow, but throughout the race. Vejle is a classic innit, never experienced that one. Would have absolutely loved to be there in 2021.
My original plan was being on Coll de Lazy side of Sorring, but now spoiled with work plans, unfortunately.
But well. I think I would never have found the "Sorring Laddenhoj" since I guess it must be another one than "Sorring Loddenhøj" n my present local proper, climed several times from the "hard way" (think +100 m vertical gain in all, though only a section of about 100m with 10-11% I think)
... or rather; @RedheadDane is it possible for you to deliver that LR-guy some Rødgrød med Fløde, to give him the right motivation for correcting the titles in the climb figures? :p
 
The TV motorbike succeeded in helping the breakaway to stay away from the peloton. And as soon as the breakaway was safe, the motorbike stopped riding right in the nose of the breakaway riders. The lone rider who tried to bridge, didn't have a motorbike to assist him, so he faded.

It's not nice to watch. It seems the camera guys in this race go closer to the riders (less zoom, less stabilization?) than in the bigger races.

Brian Nygaard who always criticizes the influence of motorbikes in bike races didn't say a thing about it. As official commentator for the TV company his priorities have changed, I guess.
 
The TV motorbike succeeded in helping the breakaway to stay away from the peloton. And as soon as the breakaway was safe, the motorbike stopped riding right in the nose of the breakaway riders. The lone rider who tried to bridge, didn't have a motorbike to assist him, so he faded.

It's not nice to watch. It seems the camera guys in this race go closer to the riders (less zoom, less stabilization?) than in the bigger races.
Danmark Rundt going back to the amateurish days.
....whenever that was, speaking this race?

Still remember an excellent on location experience from the debut year of this race - this at my local "Tour de France-bakken" in 1987 (*edit* not the debut for the race, which was in 1985, but I think it was the debut for Tour de France-bakken) - in the hood I really got going with my smell for climb hunting (back then alrady the naming of the hill was not new - just due to a couple of serpentine slopes on the start of the climb).
It was called "Bikuben Danmark Rundt" back then and I clearly remember that the race at its debut had managed to invite celebrities like Phil Anderson and Jelle Nijdam to my country. And as a teenager I was really nervous about the organizers making stupid rookie mistakes.

But it all went well, and the MC riders were exemplary.
Not even back then, when the local population was not used to this kind of slightly larger race, did you hear of such problems.

So quite worrying report I must say.
 
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Drafting vehicles is a legitimate and constitutional part of bike racing. One of the critiques of the Glasgow circuit was how it made it difficult for riders to use the caravan to get back up to the peloton after a mechanical.
 
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Yes, to some extent.

But in this case, you could clearly see the gaps growing and shrinking according to where the TV motorbikes were placed.
With the Glasgow City Race route design patched with 90° bends and ramps, stretching the peleton as long as it could get, spiced with the rules of distance by supporting cars, it was between the lines that when at first a rider had mechanicals, the rider was from here on more or less lost for good and doomed.
And pre race preludes I witnessed quite some harsh critics from former pro riders about the route design. Nomatter how exciting the RR's ever went to be.
 
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