Top favorite Kooij crashes, Meeus confirms top form with victory in first-ever Copenhagen Sprint

The Copenhagen Sprint is a brand new WorldTour race in cycling-mad Denmark. After the Tour of Denmark and the start of the 2022 Tour, it was finally time for a race at the highest level. The women had already taken their turn on Saturday: Lorena Wiebes was the best there, but it was also a good opportunity to check out the contenders for Sunday. The last phase was very twisty and narrow, so we were in for a chaotic sprint fest in the Danish capital.

Sprinters rarely get such an opportunity, so breakaway riders have no chance. Nevertheless, five men were brave enough to break away: Jensen Plowright (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was joined by George Jackson (Burgos Burpellet BH), Victor Vercouille (Flanders-Baloise), Mads Andersen, and Joshua Gudnitz (Danish national team). Their maximum lead was four minutes, which dwindled after 80 kilometers of racing.

When the riders arrived at the local circuit in Copenhagen, Plowright and Pedersen were still in the lead. They seemed easy prey, but a breakaway from the peloton gave them hope. It was Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) who broke away, and he was joined by Cedric Beullens (Lotto) and Casper Pedersen (Danish national team). They joined the pair and worked well on the circuit full of twists and turns. They were real pacesetters; would they be able to keep the peloton at bay?

It was made easier for them because Lidl-Trek had a man with Hoole, and Olav Kooij had crashed. Therefore, it was up to the other teams to chase. Uno-X Mobility took on that responsibility, ensuring the gap did not exceed 15 seconds in the final 20 kilometers. With 10 kilometers to go, it even looked like they had been caught, but the lead grew more and more. Suddenly, with 6 kilometers to go, it was 20 seconds again: was it a tremendous stunt in the making?

The four leaders fought like lions, and they had the advantage that the peloton was thinning out considerably. The sprinters didn't have much support, so it was mainly individuals who set the pace. However, it was all over when the sprint trains were put on track. With just a kilometer to go, Hoole and co were caught.

Uno-X Mobility took the lead for Waerenskjold, but Jayco-AlUla also kept Dylan Groenewegen well in front. The Dutch champion timed his sprint well, but his legs weren't up to it: in the final meters, he was overtaken by Jordi Meeus, who came out of nowhere. He managed to win ahead of the Frenchmen Renard and Jeannière.