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

[Samu Cuenca]

Well... my "At least one stage win by someone with the name Pedersen" prediction is looking worse and worse...

Just think of Wærenskjold as Søren Pedersen.

 

[Velolover2]

Those 2 opening stages are actually the ideal type of sprint stages. Even the heaviest and most specialized sprinters still have the greatest chance of winning but it's more open for late attackers.

You could skip flat borefests like stage 4 (and pancake flat stages in small races in general) and still make some entertaining circuits for the fast guys.

 

[RedheadDane]

Just think of Wærenskjold as Søren Pedersen.

Do you have some secret knowledge that his full name is actually Søren Wærenskjold Pedersen?

 

[tobydawq]

Do you have some secret knowledge that his full name is actually Søren Wærenskjold Pedersen?

Wærenskjold means Pedersen in Norwegian.

 

[ciranda]

must have been a really smart guy who thought that it would be a good idea to do Denmark and Arctic Race at the same time. Maybe they can combine Eneco and Tour of Belgium as well next year.

but it's different races with different history in two very different countries, literally there's longer from denmark to the arctic than to burgos

 

[search]

but it's different races with different history in two very different countries, literally there's longer from denmark to the arctic than to burgos

I honestly didn't think it's 2000km from one race to the other - but yeah, it indeed is.

But with the relatively small amount of high level races in Scandinavia, I'd still think it would make more sense to try to combine forces instead of having to fight each other for competing teams and riders.

 

[RedheadDane]

Wærenskjold means Pedersen in Norwegian.

No, it doesn't! You're not tricking me.
I'm pretty sure Pedersen means Pedersen in Norwegian.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

On stage 1 there were 6 Danes in the top 10, 11 in the top 20, 15 in the top 30 and 18 in the top 40.
Today there were 5 in the top 10, 10 in the top 20, 14 in the top 30 and 17 in the top 40.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Except we have no idea when the line is coming and can only see three or four riders.

It seems the TV producers have taken not only a few steps back but an entire ladder down compared to not so many years ago. Either their heli cam don't have a zoom option or they've left a toddler up there for trying out a toy. Just horrible.
Even smaller races knows how to shoot a finish and if both heli cam and ground level finish line cam is available, a producer with just tiny interest in cycling should do it much better.

There's something about this edition that seems so extremely amateurish on almost every level, that the viewers should be gifted a trophy for watching an entire stage.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

does that make Odsherred Massif Central?

"De Fynske Alper" (The Funen Alps) are written to be Le Massif Central I think

 

[tobydawq]

It seems the TV producers have taken not only a few steps back but an entire ladder down compared to not so many years ago. Either their heli cam don't have a zoom option or they've left a toddler up there for trying out a toy. Just horrible.
Even smaller races knows how to shoot a finish and if both heli cam and ground level finish line cam is available, a producer with just tiny interest in cycling should do it much better.

There's something about this edition that seems so extremely amateurish on almost every level, that the viewers should be gifted a trophy for watching an entire stage.

Yesterday was even worse. Wærenskjold was filmed crossing the line from the motorbike which drafted him. It didn't even deviate from the route a few hundred metres before the line, it just kept going and the finish line camera was never used. I don't think I've ever seen that before...

 

[tobydawq]

On stage 1 there were 6 Danes in the top 10, 11 in the top 20, 15 in the top 30 and 18 in the top 40.
Today there were 5 in the top 10, 10 in the top 20, 14 in the top 30 and 17 in the top 40.

You have too much time on your hand...

 

[Netserk]

Yesterday was even worse. Wærenskjold was filmed crossing the line from the motorbike which drafted him. It didn't even deviate from the route a few hundred metres before the line, it just kept going and the finish line camera was never used. I don't think I've ever seen that before...

But don't dare you call it a Mickey Mouse race.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Yesterday was even worse. Wærenskjold was filmed crossing the line from the motorbike which drafted him. It didn't even deviate from the route a few hundred metres before the line, it just kept going and the finish line camera was never used. I don't think I've ever seen that before...

I was just about to write about this episode.
You didn't witness such low standards (not strong enough term). even during the first era of the race in the 80ies.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

You have too much time on your hand...

Not a big numbers guy, huh?

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

But don't dare you call it a Mickey Mouse race.

Agree.
That would be fully disgracing the Disney character.

 

[tobydawq]

But don't dare you call it a Mickey Mouse race.

No, I don't need to throw around me with names from the world of Disney because something is bad.

 

[tobydawq]

I was just about to write about this episode.
You didn't witness such low standards (not strong enough term). even during the first era of the race in the 80ies.

I doubt there was live coverage back then...

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I doubt there was live coverage back then...

Correct, no live coverage back then - however, fine longer quality resumés.
With in fact great shootings and good fade over clippings between MC cams and fixed in-the-field cams (AFAIR no heli cams, maybe last edition of first era).
The camera men back them seemed to know the very basics of how to shoot a peleton, a selected group, a sprint, etc. - just by proper zooming and letting the producer do the right clipping. Though this was post editing I'm pretty convinced the producer had the ability of situational awareness for a live broadcasting.
Though, I remember it being an issue when the race was reintroduced in mid 90ies, like they had lost the original crew.
But nothing as bad as I've witnessed for the last couple of stages.

 

[postmanhat]

Wærenskjold is the perfect GC rider in minor stage races. Strong solo rider, strong time trialist, strong sprinter. His only weakness seems to be bigger climbs.

He did well in the Tour, too.

Huge talent. Spent the first half of the season riding for a non-performing Kristoff, as he did at the Tour. To their credit, Uno-X seem to have realised fairly quickly this was, literally, pointless, and he's been getting some great results with more freedom. Should be a real force next spring if they let him ride for himself.

 

[yaco]

No surprise that Danish riders lose their head in a Danish race.

 

[search]

Skjelmose says he's not feeling too well. Maybe it's the long-term fatigue.

the article on TV2 (at least the translation) quotes him as saying "I hope I feel better tomorrow (Thursday, ed.), but unfortunately the second day is usually the worst", which sounds more like something a rider would say after a crash. Did he mention anything in that regard?

Edit: going by some Twitter comments, he crashed early on in Stage 1.

 

[Velolover2]

Wærenskjold weights 92 kg (!) and is almost 2 metres tall.

For some reason I could see him surprise on Kiddesvej. It's the longer hills and length that will be more of a test.

How hard is Ibækvej/Golfbakken? In theory, a 1.5 km-2 km hill with hard irregular gradients should be enough to split the peloton and sink such a heavy rider. Especially when raced thrice.

But I'm not sure Mads is in the Worlds shape or Matt is in his Suisse shape. It's really up to Trek if they are not feeling confident in their time trial.

 

[search]

How hard is Ibækvej/Golfbakken? In theory, a 1.5 km-2 km hill with hard irregular gradients should be enough to split the peloton and sink such a heavy rider. Especially when raced thrice.

looks very tough indeed

Ibækvej from Ibæk - Profile of the ascent

Ibækvej from Ibæk is a climb in the region Vejle Fjord. It is 1.8km long and bridges 93 vertical meters with an average gradient of 5.2%, resulting in a diffi

climbfinder.com

Don't think they'll drop Wærenskjold with 50k to go, but should be hard enough to weaken him a bit before the finish.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Wærenskjold weights 92 kg (!) and is almost 2 metres tall.

For some reason I could see him surprise on Kiddesvej. It's the longer hills and length that will be more of a test.

How hard is Ibækvej/Golfbakken? In theory, a 1.5 km-2 km hill with hard irregular gradients should be enough to split the peloton and sink such a heavy rider. Especially when raced thrice.

But I'm not sure Mads is in the Worlds shape or Matt is in his Suisse shape. It's really up to Trek if they are not feeling confident in their time trial.

At a Gran Fondo I participated through 2014-16 Ibækvej/Golfbakken was taken as a nice twisty downhill. On beforehand the weekend before I climbed it several times (using more famous Munkebjergvej downhill) - and to me for a pro peleton, even not a 92kg guy will have serious issues by a single passage - or i.e. maybe he'll be bridged by some 100 - max 200 meters, but surroundings right after are mostly flat, and his force comes him good here, plenty of possibilities catching up.

Regarding the Kiddesvej rounds, it's the toll taken by the short laps and the counterhill up Koldingvej and continous attacs up Kiddesvej that normaly results in HUGE timegaps for this Queen Stage. You're right a single passage of Kiddesvej as just a bump on the road will do no real harm in a pro peleton.