2026 Tour of Denmark preview | Van Aert and Laporte face Del Grosso and many more outsiders
CyclingTuesday, 28 July 2026 at 11:00
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Follow us on GoogleAnyone who knows the cycling calendar by heart knows that the Tour of Denmark comes up soon after the Tour de France. This year, the Scandinavian country is once again hosting a strong field of riders, including the returning Wout van Aert. IDL Pro Cycling breaks down what you can expect from the five-day Danish race!
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The Tour of Denmark has been held since 1985, so—with a brief hiatus in 1988 and 1995—this year marks the 36th edition. As of 2026, the stage race has 2.Pro status, whereas from 2005 to 2020 it held the highest status in cycling.
The list of winners of the Danmark Rundt, as it’s known in Denmark, includes quite a few big names. Mads Pedersen was last year’s winner, but he won’t be defending his title this year for Lidl-Trek. Grand Tour winners such as Remco Evenepoel (2021) and, going further back, Ivan Basso (2005) have also claimed victory here. Van Aert triumphed in 2018, and Christophe Laporte in 2022.
Recent Winners of the Tour of Denmark
2025 Mads Pedersen
2024 Arnaud De Lie
2023 Mads Pedersen
2022 Christophe Laporte
2021 Remco Evenepoel
2020 Cancelled
2019 Niklas Larsen
2018 Wout van Aert
2017 Mads Pedersen
2016 Michael Valgren
2024 Arnaud De Lie
2023 Mads Pedersen
2022 Christophe Laporte
2021 Remco Evenepoel
2019 Niklas Larsen
2018 Wout van Aert
2017 Mads Pedersen
2016 Michael Valgren
2026 Tour of Denmark route, stage favorites, and start time
Stage 1, Wednesday, July 29: Aalborg – Aalborg (197.2 km)
We’ll kick off this Tour of Denmark in Aalborg, where the first stage—nearly 200 kilometers long—awaits us. The profile is a bit misleading, as there aren’t actually that many ups and downs on Day 1. We’ll finish after completing three small local loops, one of which includes a short climb of 700 meters at a 6.1% gradient.
Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Times
Start: 1:30 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Start: 1:30 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Stage 2, Thursday, July 30: Glyngøre – Skive (182.9 km)
On day two as well, the profile seems to suggest all sorts of steep climbs, but that’s not the case. The format here is the same as the day before, as we’ll once again finish after completing three laps of a local circuit, which again includes a small climb.
Favorites
Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise)
Giovanni Lonardi (Polti VisitMalta)
Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Times
Start: 1:50 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Start: 1:50 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Stage 3, Friday, July 31: Fredericia - Vejle (202.9 km)
On day three, the course includes significantly more hills than on the first two days. It’s a constant up-and-down ride, especially in the final stretch. Riders aiming for the overall victory will have to make their move on this stage. The final 800 meters are very tight, so a strong finish will be essential!
Favorites
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Corbin Strong (NSN)
Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Times
Start: 1:00 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Start: 1:00 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Stage 4, Saturday, August 1: Rudkøbing - Faaborg (172.6 km)
On day four, the riders head toward Faaborg, where another tricky final circuit awaits them. The decisive factor there is the Nørreskov climb, which is 800 meters long with an average gradient of 4.8%. The riders will have to tackle it three times, after which there will be a short descent to the finish.
Favorites
Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla)
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Times
Start: 2:00 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Start: 2:00 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 5:50 p.m CET
Stage 5, Sunday, August 2: Køge - Rødovre (126 km)
While the organizers did their best in the early days to include as many hills as possible in the course, that’s much less the case for the final stretch. The finish, in particular, is almost entirely flat, so we’ll most likely see one more sprint for the stage win in Rødovre.
Favorites
Milan Menten (Lotto-Intermarché)
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X)
Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek)
Times
Start: 12:45 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 3:30 p.m CET
Start: 12:45 p.m CET
Finish: approx. 3:30 p.m CET
Overall classification favourites, 2026 Tour of Denmark
Let’s be clear: With riders like the returning Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte, Visma | Lease a Bike is the team to beat at the start of this Tour of Denmark. Of course, we can only speculate about the form of these two riders, but given their talents, they’ll naturally be immediate contenders for the overall victory.
The course of this Tour of Denmark is particularly well-suited for classic riders who also prefer to have a fast finish in their legs. We count Lukas Kubis of Unibet Rose Rockets—which also features Rory Townsend— Corbin Strong of NSN—which also features Rhiley Sheehan —and Tibor Del Grosso of Alpecin-Premier Tech among that category.
We’re also definitely expecting big things from Brabantse Pijl surprise contender Anders Foldager, who is riding for the Danish team. The Uno-X team will want to make things as difficult as possible for Rasmus Tiller, while the speedy Giovanni Lonardi (Polti VisitMalta) and Milan Menten (Lotto-Intermarché) should also handle the hills well. The Belgian team also has Toon Aerts in the lineup.
Lidl-Trek has won here before and has two very dangerous riders in Jakub Söderqvist and Søren Kragh Andersen, so we definitely expect Lidl-Trek to try to dictate the pace of the race.
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
IDL Pro Cycling top picks, 2026 Tour of Denmark
Top Favorite: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Dark horses: Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and Jakub Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets), Corbin Strong, Rhiley Sheehan (both NSN), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X), Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché), and Søren Kragh Andersen (Lidl-Trek)
Dark horses: Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech), and Jakub Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek)
Long shots: Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets), Corbin Strong, Rhiley Sheehan (both NSN), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X), Toon Aerts (Lotto-Intermarché), and Søren Kragh Andersen (Lidl-Trek)
TV Tour of Denmark 2026
If you want to follow the race from Denmark, you can tune in to HBO Max every day at 3:45 p.m. Please note: on Sundays, the broadcast starts at 1:30 p.m., as the race begins earlier and therefore ends earlier. TV viewers in Europe are in luck on Thursday and Friday, as Eurosport 1 will also be broadcasting on those days.
Read also
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Jorgenson looked poorly mid-race and still animated the third week — if Visma don’t give him real freedom at the Vuelta, what’s the point? Also, is Riccitello really behind Seixas on Decathlon’s depth chart or is that just French media hype? Porque si Riccitello tiene la oportunidad, puede ganar una etapa, fácil.jennifer1927-07-2026
- - Not sure I buy the “pressure got to Kuss” angle. He’s won at La Vuelta, at the Giro this year, and on big alpine days before. Those were slippery roads and he was pushing the limits. That’s bike racing, not nerves.lindae27-07-2026
- - Simmons did his job for Mads, fair play, but three weeks of torching breakaways for green and zero personal shots feels off. If Lidl-Trek want jerseys, fine — give Quinn one protected day at least. The guy showed winning form at Nationals.julien27-07-2026
- - Quick question: why doesn’t the team time trial count as ending the drought? If Kuss rode it and Visma won, isn’t that still an American winning a Tour stage?gearguru3327-07-2026
- - Brutal for Kuss on Alpe d’Huez. He had the legs, the gap, then two slips in quick succession… you could see the switch flip when Carapaz came past. “Well and alive” is peak Sepp, but that one will sting all winter.pedalpowe2927-07-2026
- - This article leans a touch too much into Plugge’s framing. Where’s the ITA’s explanation on why those specific hours? Without that, it reads like Visma PR. Still, good reporting on the AIGCP angle.lindae27-07-2026
- - Totally agree that the optics are bad, but come on—anti-doping is supposed to be intrusive. Pogačar at 5 a.m. and Vinge at 2 a.m. is messy, yet I’d rather see over-testing than another FestinaJust standardise the timing window, UCI/ITA.samanthak27-07-2026
- - I’m a bit confused—if the ITA told Visma it wasn’t suspicion-based, why did a judge need to approve it? Does that mean there actually was “serious and consistent suspicion,” or is that just legal procedure in France?cadencekingm27-07-2026
- - Great piece. Plugge’s point about consistency is spot on—either test the whole GC top 10 the same night or don’t do night tests at all. Waking Jonas at 2 a.m. before Solaison feels like it could actually impact performance.cyclechamp4527-07-2026
- - Qué final, mon dieu! Van der Poel incroyable, pero también Pogacar con sonrisa de amarillo. Two giants making history.lindae27-07-2026
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