Bennati wins Tour of Denmark opening stage
With high speeds, crashes and a fast finish, the first stage of the Tour of Denmark brought with it excitement from the drop of the flag.
The 2016 edition kicked off with an almost completely flat 198.2km that brought the riders from Herning to Esbjerg. There was a single climb on the menu but the main challenges were the narrow, twisting roads and the danger of crosswinds as some of the areas were very exposed. With 45km to go, the riders passed a narrow dyke where the race split a few years ago and then they headed to the finish where the stage ended with 3 laps of 3.7km circuit. It includes a very small climb just before the finish.
Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) made his comeback at the Tour de Pologne after he missed most of the season due to injury and by finishing in the top 10 in the final time trial, he showed that his form was getting better. Today he proved that he is ready for the Vuelta by taking a surprise win in the first stage of the Tour of Denmark.
Bennati and the Tinkoff team were very active in splitting the field when the peloton passed a narrow bridge with 40km to go. That created a small 24-rider front group and when the move seemed to lose its momentum, he attacked together with Mads Würtz Schmidt whom he easily beat in a two-rider sprint.
Tour of Denmark 2016 – stage 1 results (Herning – Esbjerg):
| 1 | Daniele Bennati (Tinkoff) |
4:32:29 |
| 2 | Mads Wurtz Schmitz (Virtu Pro Veloconcept) |
+03” |
| 3 | Moreno Hofland (LottoNl-Jumbo) |
+16” |
| 4 | Erik Baska (Tinkoff) |
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| 5 | Andrea Guardini (Astana) |
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| 6 | Michael Valgren (Tinkoff) |
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| 7 | Rudiger Selig (Bora-Argon 18) |
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| 8 | Roy Jans (Wanty – Groupe Gobert) |
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| 9 | Amaury Capiot (Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise) |
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| 10 | Magnus Cort Nielsen (Postnord Danmark) |
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