From 'completely lost,' 'nauseous,' and 'throwing up' to victory: Waerenskjold pulls off a stunning turnaround in Denmark

“It was chaotic, as we expected,” said the stage winner immediately after the race on his team, Uno-X Mobility's social media. “I also rode this finish two years ago, and then I finished fourth. So I knew we had to be at the front,” said the 25-year-old rider.

That's exactly what happened. Together with his lead-out, the Uno X train was the first to enter the final straight towards the finish. “But we were a little too far in front of where we wanted to be. Fortunately, I had the legs to finish it off, but it was pretty tough, and it was unexpectedly fast after yesterday.”

Normally, one would also expect Wærenskjold to be in the first stage of the Tour of Denmark. But there, the most recent winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwblad lost no less than 11 minutes and 55 seconds. Wærenskjold revealed the reason to the Danish media outlet Feltet, which explains why his victory a day later is surprising.

“I was completely lost. I had eaten something that made me feel nauseous. I felt like I was going to throw up during the climbs,” said the Norwegian rider about the first stage on Danish soil. “And I also had a bad night, but this morning I woke up and felt better. I don’t know what it was, because I felt really good in training before the race. The story doesn't reveal whether the illness has completely disappeared, but it is clear that the big Norwegian was strong and fast enough to win.