Jasper Philipsen wins the Copenhagen Sprint ahead of Tobias Lund Andresen

Jasper Philipsen was the fastest as the Copenhagen Sprint was decided in a tight sprint finish in front of the National Gallery of Denmark. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider relegated Tobias Lund Andresen and Sam Welsford to the remaining podium places.

Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen won the second edition of the World Tour race Copenhagen Sprint on Sunday. After 228 km from Roskilde across the roads of North Zealand, the race was decided in a decimated sprint, with the Belgian super-sprinter relegating Tobias Lund Andresen and Sam Welsford to the remaining podium places.

On the penultimate lap, a crash meant the peloton was severely depleted. As a result, the sprint in front of the National Gallery of Denmark ended up being a duel between around 30 riders, and Jasper Philipsen was the fastest of them all.

"It was a very hectic day. Just like last year, there was a crash on the final lap, which is a shame for those who were looking forward to a bunch sprint. I just hope everyone is okay. All the teams did a good job of leading the peloton. The pace was really high. I don’t know the exact speed, but it felt fast. I’m very happy with my form. A win is important; now it’s just a matter of finding those last few per cent ahead of the Tour de France,” said Jasper Philipsen after the victory.

The morning breakaway almost caught everyone off guard

The 228 km race started in Roskilde and wound its way through North Zealand via Frederikssund, Hillerød, Farum, Hillerød and Ballerup, before the peloton reached the circuit in Copenhagen after 175 km.

The race was dominated by a five-man breakaway including four Danes: the two national team riders Mads Andersen and Frederik Rodenberg, William Blume of Uno-X Mobility, and Anders Foldager of Jayco Alula, as well as the Norwegian Rune Herregodts of UAE Team Emirates.

The breakaway held on all the way to Copenhagen and was only caught a few kilometres before the finish line. That is why national team rider Mads Andersen was also disappointed:

“It was fantastic to ride around Copenhagen, and I even imagined we’d be fighting for the win. Still, I’m not disappointed, because it was an amazing experience,” says Mads Andersen, who knows two of the other breakaway riders, William Blume and Anders Foldager, from his time at secondary school in Vejle.

Speed, excitement and world-class cycling

Both the men’s and women’s editions of the Copenhagen Sprint were a resounding success, and it was indeed a delighted sports director who gave an update after the race.

"It has been a really good weekend for Copenhagen Sprint this year and for cycling in Denmark. Yesterday, the women delivered a race at a level fully worthy of the World Tour, and Lorena Wiebes once again showed why she is one of the world’s absolute strongest riders. Today, the men followed up with another strong race, with Jasper Philipsen taking the win and Denmark’s Tobias Lund Andresen finishing a fine second,” said Jesper Tikiøb, race director of Copenhagen Sprint, who was delighted that the race provided the crowd with a fantastic cycling spectacle:

"It was a race that gave spectators exactly what the Copenhagen Sprint was created for: speed, excitement and world-class cycling on Danish roads. It’s fantastic to see the world’s biggest cycling teams and riders in Denmark. Even with a shower or two along the way, people turned out, cheered and helped to show that the Copenhagen Sprint has already won over the Danes."