The New Danish Generation

[rune1107]

For us cycling happy danes, this spring has been a time of joy. Young guns like Valgren (26), Mads Pedersen (22), Magnus Cort (25) and Søren Kragh Andersen (23) all seem to be one their way to the main stage of the spring classics. Especially Valgren, Pedersen and Cort has impressed, riding aggressively and with a ton of panache. I thought it would be about time to make a thread to celebrate a new generation of young firepower in the peloton. It seems like it is only a matter of time before a monument trophy is once again hoisted by a dane!

 

[Koronin]

Enjoy your young riders. Valgren seems to be having a breakout spring.

 

[Velolover2]

I've noticed that too. Never understood why Denmark doesn't have a WT race when they always have been well-represented in the pro-peloton. Makes more sense to me than Canadian or Chinese or Turkish WT races.

Not all stage races need to be won by a climber. That's why I tried to make one for the classics riders in Denmark: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15517&start=7320

 

[rune1107]

Re:

I've noticed that too. Never understood why Denmark doesn't have a WT race when they always have been well-represented in the pro-peloton. Makes more sense to me than Canadian or Chinese or Turkish WT races.

Not all stage races need to be won by a climber. That's why I tried to make one for the classics riders in Denmark: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15517&start=7320

Agreed. PostNord Danmark Rundt has always attracted decent talent, but around Vejle there are a lot of nice cycling terrain. If we can host a WC, a WT race would be possible with the right funding.

 

[toolittle]

Re:

Bjarne Riis is building another WT team from continental team. CSC successor is coming.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

 

[EroicaStradeBianche]

Valgren is smart

 

[Valv.Piti]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

Kinda, they are pretty similar - Rolf was a way better finisher tho, but Valgren really has carved out a niche for himself and he is getting super good at it (the late attack). A very good all around classics rider, but I still maintain that Valgren won't win much in his career, but when he wins, it will be big wins. Kinda like Benoot.

I still think Søren Kragh, Mads Pedersen and Julius Johansen will be better riders. Søren Kragh has been hampered by a crash this season, but I think he is more of a natural than Valgren - can ride all kinds of classics, but also finish. Climbs very decently as well. Pedersen has a great engine and if Johansen continues his progress, he will be scary. So all in all it looks good for them.

 

[JoeD1997]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

Kinda, they are pretty similar - Rolf was a way better finisher tho, but Valgren really has carved out a niche for himself and he is getting super good at it (the late attack). A very good all around classics rider, but I still maintain that Valgren won't win much in his career, but when he wins, it will be big wins. Kinda like Benoot.

I still think Søren Kragh, Mads Pedersen and Julius Johansen will be better riders. Søren Kragh has been hampered by a crash this season, but I think he is more of a natural than Valgren - can ride all kinds of classics, but also finish. Climbs very decently as well. Pedersen has a great engine and if Johansen continues his progress, he will be scary. So all in all it looks good for them.

Factor in Bjerg and Honore, with Johansen you have three pretty good talents for the coming seasons to go with the current WT guys

 

[RedheadDane]

It sure is fun being a Danish cycling fan these days.











(Can't help but notice that nobody made the Last Major Country to Win threads the last two years. Danish riders messing it up by actually winning early?)

 

[rune1107]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

Kinda, they are pretty similar - Rolf was a way better finisher tho, but Valgren really has carved out a niche for himself and he is getting super good at it (the late attack). A very good all around classics rider, but I still maintain that Valgren won't win much in his career, but when he wins, it will be big wins. Kinda like Benoot.

I still think Søren Kragh, Mads Pedersen and Julius Johansen will be better riders. Søren Kragh has been hampered by a crash this season, but I think he is more of a natural than Valgren - can ride all kinds of classics, but also finish. Climbs very decently as well. Pedersen has a great engine and if Johansen continues his progress, he will be scary. So all in all it looks good for them.

Factor in Bjerg and Honore, with Johansen you have three pretty good talents for the coming seasons to go with the current WT guys

Sure do. A lot of talent also in the junior classes. Skjelmose got a nice 3rd in Paris-Roubaix. Great to see some of them are starting to turn the junior and U23 wins into WT results.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Are we not forgetting some people?

Yea, yea, I know, Amalie Dideriksen has achieved a higher profile what with her winning the World Championships and podiuming the subsequent year and winning a World Cup with the Ronde van Drenthe, but Cille's a stronger all-rounder, been on the podium of World Tour one day races, U23 World Tour winner by a hilariously comprehensive margin last year, I like her more, and also she just looks so disapproving in that picture it was perfect.

There's also Pernille Mathiesen who is European U23 champion in both RR and ITT, Christina Siggaard who won Omloop het Nieuwsblad, and Emma Norsgaard who won the national RR championships at 16 and is in her first pro year at just 18 too. Denmark seems to be finally getting its head around - in both genders - turning those superstar juniors and espoirs into top level pro riders. All too often in the past, a seeming megastar espoir from Denmark would go pro to great fanfare and then not have any real upward momentum, and fail to capitalise on early promise, so it's good to see them turning that around.

Not to mention that I'd love to see the Vejle stages from the Post Danmark Rundt in a women's race. A Tour of Denmark for the women would be more than viable, although I do fear there's already a huge imbalance in the World Tour calendar in favour of that kind of racing. They could get a good field for a 2.1 there though, obviously Virtu, Cervélo and Hitec would turn up plus you could get national teams for the Scandi nations, but I reckon you could also get the Boels B-team backing Amalie, Waowdeals, maybe Canyon, Wiggle with Leth and Fahlin, Experza-Footlogix as they have a Scandinavian element, BTC possibly because of Hanna Nilsson, Jos Feron Lady Force, and if they time it to fit in with when one of the strong US teams is in Europe, like United Healthcare or TIBCO, it could be a pretty good race, especially as those small obstacles that Denmark has to offer are more likely to make a difference in the women's péloton due to greater variety in level, smaller teams in general (though it may be teams of 6 already in the Post Danmark Rundt, I forget) and that the shorter races mean that the climbs are, by percentage, more of the race than they are among the men's.

 

[Anderis]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

Kinda, they are pretty similar - Rolf was a way better finisher tho, but Valgren really has carved out a niche for himself and he is getting super good at it (the late attack). A very good all around classics rider, but I still maintain that Valgren won't win much in his career, but when he wins, it will be big wins.

Yes, unfortunately. Valgren's niche requires him to either be a tad underestimated by others or his team to have a numerical advantage at the end of a race. If he continues to win races like this year, he won't be underestimated anymore and it will be harder for him to get away from the group.

 

[Velolover2]

Vlagren is the new Rolf Sörensen. He can handle both the cobbled and the hilly classics.

Kinda, they are pretty similar - Rolf was a way better finisher tho, but Valgren really has carved out a niche for himself and he is getting super good at it (the late attack). A very good all around classics rider, but I still maintain that Valgren won't win much in his career, but when he wins, it will be big wins.

Yes, unfortunately. Valgren's niche requires him to either be a tad underestimated by others or his team to have a numerical advantage at the end of a race. If he continues to win races like this year, he won't be underestimated anymore and it will be harder for him to get away from the group.

Perhaps, he is actually able to drop riders this way after a very hard race, even if they try to stay on his wheel. In Omloop, no one could follow him. A Purito-like punch but on flat roads instead of uphill. I don't know if you can be a "flat puncheur".. it must be called something else.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Are we not forgetting some people?

Yea, yea, I know, Amalie Dideriksen has achieved a higher profile what with her winning the World Championships and podiuming the subsequent year and winning a World Cup with the Ronde van Drenthe, but Cille's a stronger all-rounder, been on the podium of World Tour one day races, U23 World Tour winner by a hilariously comprehensive margin last year, 2) I like her more, and also 1) she just looks so disapproving in that picture it was perfect.

There's also Pernille Mathiesen who is European U23 champion in both RR and ITT, Christina Siggaard who won Omloop het Nieuwsblad, and Emma Norsgaard who won the national RR championships at 16 and is in her first pro year at just 18 too. Denmark seems to be finally getting its head around - in both genders - turning those superstar juniors and espoirs into top level pro riders. All too often in the past, a seeming megastar espoir from Denmark would go pro to great fanfare and then not have any real upward momentum, and fail to capitalise on early promise, so it's good to see them turning that around.

Not to mention that I'd love to see the Vejle stages from the Post Danmark Rundt in a women's race. A Tour of Denmark for the women would be more than viable, although I do fear there's already a huge imbalance in the World Tour calendar in favour of that kind of racing. They could get a good field for a 2.1 there though, obviously Virtu, Cervélo and Hitec would turn up plus you could get national teams for the Scandi nations, but I reckon you could also get the Boels B-team backing Amalie, Waowdeals, maybe Canyon, Wiggle with Leth and Fahlin, Experza-Footlogix as they have a Scandinavian element, BTC possibly because of Hanna Nilsson, Jos Feron Lady Force, and if they time it to fit in with when one of the strong US teams is in Europe, like United Healthcare or TIBCO, it could be a pretty good race, especially as those small obstacles that Denmark has to offer are more likely to make a difference in the women's péloton due to greater variety in level, smaller teams in general (though it may be teams of 6 already in the Post Danmark Rundt, I forget) and that the shorter races mean that the climbs are, by percentage, more of the race than they are among the men's.

Ad 1) Yeah, that picture definitely made me feel ashamed for not having considered her when I read the earlier posts in the thread

Ad 2) Completely understandable. She's the only sportsperson that puts a small on my face every time I see an interview with her. Incredible charisma and charm.

 

[RedheadDane]

I just love Cille for her total blunt and direct attitude. Will never forget the interview with her after Mathiesen won the U23 RR at the European Championships last year; think she (Cille) managed to drop the f-bomb around five times in an interview lasting a couple of minutes.

I'd love to have her as a (guest) commentator on Danish TV some day.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I don't even know 'Cille', but Im also very ignorant on women's cycling. I ever only get to see the Worlds and when you don't know the riders, you don't really pay attention. Could be I should pay more attention the women, its often very good and selective races from the stuff I have read from LS.

 

[RedheadDane]

I'd say you definitely should! Just a shame TV2 doesn't seem to be showing the Women's F-W and L-B-L like they did AGR.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

I don't even know 'Cille', but Im also very ignorant on women's cycling. I ever only get to see the Worlds and when you don't know the riders, you don't really pay attention. Could be I should pay more attention the women, its often very good and selective races from the stuff I have read from LS.

The full name is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig. If you have seen an interview with her, you'd know it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Not showing Flèche is, I'm afraid, an annual problem. To be fair, it's hard to expect a small family organization like ASO, without experience in operating high level bike races, to be able to understand how to operate an on switch on a camera until the men arrive later. Despite that Flèche is the most prestigious of all hilly classics for the women, being far longer established, and that the women provide much better racing in it than the men (the last 2 editions have seen the winning groups formed well before the Mur de Huy). It's a huge subject of grievance among women's cycling fans when so many organizers can at least work something out and ASO can't but at least we get some clips now with the Women's World Tour, some years the best we got was somebody hanging a static camera out of the window of the commentary booth as the riders came around the final corner.

As for Cille, she's got charisma to burn, she's humorous, and she can compete over a wide range of terrain. No sprint, but she's young and versatile, she can climb and TT, and she absolutely obliterated the U23 standings last year, finishing with more than 3x as many points as the nearest challengers, and consider that one of those was wearing the rainbow jersey.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re:

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, is such a superstar in the making..... not necessarily for her riding (though that works too), but every cycling journalist will love to interview her, because she is funny - and a slightly crazy firecracker

https://youtu.be/XJko-9CJaV8

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, is such a superstar in the making..... not necessarily for her riding (though that works too), but every cycling journalist will love to interview her, because she is funny - and a slightly crazy firecracker

https://youtu.be/XJko-9CJaV8

Just incredibly likable.

 

[jaylew]

Re:

I don't even know 'Cille', but Im also very ignorant on women's cycling. I ever only get to see the Worlds and when you don't know the riders, you don't really pay attention. Could be I should pay more attention the women, its often very good and selective races from the stuff I have read from LS.

Yeah, never heard of her either but then it's hard to follow women's cycling when it's rarely broadcast - it's just not the same if you can't actually watch the race. I only know the biggest names and even then I don't always know their individual strengths and specialities. Women's cross on the other hand, I find to be more exciting than the men's the last few years and almost every cross seems to have a women's race that is broadcast in full.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Re: Re:

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, is such a superstar in the making..... not necessarily for her riding (though that works too), but every cycling journalist will love to interview her, because she is funny - and a slightly crazy firecracker

https://youtu.be/XJko-9CJaV8

Just incredibly likable.

Yeah, absolutely my favorite female rider

Danish TV interviewed her after the female version of Flanders, and she said something like: "I love this race, you can smell beer the entire way, people even throw it at you, while screaming and shouting, it makes you feel alive"

For those not in the know:

She won the youth jersey in the giro last year (10th in the general GC), and took silver in the ITT at the european championships (which for the women, is heavily contested, as opposed to for the men)

Being only 22, she will be one of the main GC contenders, in GTs of the future - and has the personality to become a darling for cyclingfans

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Up and coming riders to watch for:

Niklas EG (Trek): Top level climber in the making
Mads Würtz Schmidt (Katusha): Coming TT and classics star - potential for GTs as well
Casper Pedersen (Aqua Blue): Potentially a top level puncheur
Lasse Norman Hansen (Aqua Blue): Coming TT and classics star - potential for GTs as well