Preview Tour of Denmark 2023 | Pedersen and Skjelmose eager for victory in their own country!

The super World Championships in Glasgow are over, but racing continues unabated! From Tuesday, August 15 to Saturday, August 19, the Tour of Denmark is on the cycling menu, and IDLProCycling.com is very happy to look forward to it!

Practical information Tour of Denmark 2023

• Tuesday, August 15 to Saturday, August 19
• Participants
• Classification: 2.Pro

In this article

• Most recent winners
• Course, climbs and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Most recent winners Tour of Denmark

2022 Christophe Laporte
2021 Remco Evenepoel
2020 Not ridden due to Covid19 crisis
2019 Niklas Larsen
2018 Wout van Aert
2017 Mads Pedersen
2016 Michael Valgren
2015 Christopher Juul-Jensen
2014 Michael Valgren
2013 Wilco Kelderman

Tour of Denmark 2023: course, climbs and times

Stage 1, Tuesday, August 15, 2023: Aalborg - Aalborg (169.8 km)

The overture of the Danish stage race is characterized by tricky climbs. Aalborg, a medium-sized city with about 100,000 inhabitants, serves as both the start and finish place of the opening stage, which is just under 170 kilometers long. There is a real chance that the men with classification ambitions will come out of their shells here already, as there are plenty of opportunities to make a difference. There are only three categorized climbs on the course, but the local finishing loop (ridden three times) also occasionally rises viciously steep.

Climbs
36.0 km:Hojris (500 meters at 6.6 percent)
73.9 km: Rebildbakken (700 meters at 7.4 percent)
89.9 km: Kribtbakken (600 meters at 6.8 percent)

Times
Start: 2 p.m.
Finish: around 5:45 p.m.

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)
Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X)

Stage 2, Wednesday, August 16, 2023: Kjellerup - Silkeborg (163.5 km)

The second stage can also be labeled a hilly ride, as there are again numerous bumps included in the roadbook. And just like in the first stage, there is again a local final circuit, which must be completed three times. The top ten is likely to be dominated by the same riders who managed to race to a top-ten finish in the opener.

Climbs
36.7 km: Sorring Låddenhøj (900 meters at 5.3 percent)
82.0 km: Yding Skovhøj (1.2 kilometers at 6.3 percent)
109.5 km: Smedebakken (600 meters at 8.7 percent)

Times
Start: 2:05 p.m.
Finish: around 5:45 p.m.

Favorites
Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Stage 3, Thursday, August 17, 2023: Vejen - Velje (209 km)

The third stage is the longest of all and runs through the south of Denmark. It wouldn't be surprising if this stage also doesn't end in a mass sprint. There are again several challenging climbs on the menu, with the toughest part mainly in the second half of the stage. A cunning right-hand bend - can you see the recurring theme here - is also included in the local finishing loop for stage three.

Climbs
91.0 km: Refsgarde (900 meters at 5.4 percent)
140.9 km: Golfbakken (1.5 kilometers at 5 percent)
151.6 km: Golfbakken (1.5 kilometers at 5 percent)
170.9 km: Kolding Landevej (900 meters at 5.3 percent)

Times
Start: 1 p.m.
Finish: around 5:40 p.m.

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Tobias Andresen (Team DSM-firmenich)
Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X)

Stage 4, Friday, August 18, 2023: Kalundborg - Bagsværd (171 km)

Only this fourth stage, which runs over 171 kilometers from Kalundborg to Bagsværd (a suburb of Copenhagen), seems to be actually suited for a real bunch sprint. Fabio Jakobsen will certainly have circled this penultimate stage in dark red in his personal roadbook. There are some obstacles in the course, but these hills seem to be quite manageable for the sprinters this time.

Climbs
40.4 km: Kattrupbakken (600 meters at 3 percent)
126.3 km: Skenkelsobakken (300 meters at 4.7 percent)
138.4 km: Ganlose (300 meters at 4.3 percent)

Times
Start: 1:45 p.m.
Finish: around 5:45 p.m.

Favorites
Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)

Stage 5, Saturday, August 19, 2023: Elsinore - Elsinore (individual time trial, 16.1 km)

The final stage of the Scandinavian competition is an individual time trial, just over 16 kilometers long. The time trial is flat, and Helsingør serves as both the starting and finishing place. There's a high chance that this tour will only be decided in this race against the clock!

Climbs
-.

Times
Start first rider: 1 p.m.
Finish last rider: around 3:45 p.m.

Favorites
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek)
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

Favorites Tour of Denmark 2023

Looking at the field of participants and the course of the five-day race through Denmark, it seems very likely that a rider from Lidl-Trek will take the overall victory. The American WorldTour team is starting with an ensemble of stars and thus seems to have the best papers to deliver the overall winner. First and foremost, we are looking at Mads Pedersen. The 27-year-old home rider had a decent Tour, after which he focused on the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow. There he just missed the podium with a fourth place, but it did show just how good the Dane's form is. Pedersen can basically compete for the stage victory in all five stages of the Tour of Denmark, as both the three hilly stages, the sprint stage, and the time trial suit him well.

The greatest danger to Pedersen seems to be his countryman and teammate Mattias Skjelmose, who also had a strong World Championship. The national champion also possesses particularly good time trial skills, and it may just be that the 2.Pro race will only be decided during the final time trial. Skjelmose can handle the Danish hills well, making him one of the (shadow) favorites in the battle for the daily victories multiple times. There are quite a few bonus seconds to pick up, so we'll jot down Skjelmose right away!

The versatile Skjelmose finds a course to his liking in his home race.

Two other home riders, Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) and Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), are also strong contenders for the overall victory. Both gentlemen handle hills well, with the former even having some nifty sprinting skills. Kragh, in turn, always manages to surprise in some way, resulting in them being penned as outsiders for the general classification. Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) is a bit of an exception in terms of nationality. The strong giant from Uno-X comes from Norway. The youngster can do well in time trials, can unleash a fiery sprint and is not easily dropped on a bumpy ride. In short, all the ingredients for the overall victory!

Finally, we also provide a few names of guests who might surprise in Denmark. Guys whom you wouldn't expect right away, but who, in good form, can really make an impact. We are talking about riders like Tomas Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Dsnty), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), Tobias Andresen (Team DSM-firmenich), and Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step). Fabio Jakobsen returns to racing in the Tour of Denmark after missing the Tour de France. The 'Hulk of Heukelum' is not a contender for the overall victory but is the top favorite to triumph on day four!

Favorites Tour of Denmark 2023, according to IDLProCycling.com

Top favorites: Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose (both Lidl-Trek)
Outsiders: Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X), and Søren Kragh Andersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Longshots: Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost), Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Dstny), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step), Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek), Tobias Andresen (Team DSM-firmenich) and Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step)

Tour of Denmark 2023 on television

The international sports channel Eurosport will be there live during every stage. Both on Eurosport 1 and the digital channels, the daily broadcast starts about an hour and a half before the estimated finish time. That usually means you can switch on to "the home of cycling" from 3:45 p.m.