Mads Pedersen and Lorena Wiebes the headline acts at inaugural Copenhagen Sprint - Preview

The newest appointment in the UCI WorldTour calendar is the Copenhagen sprint, and the clue to the premise is in the name. It’s a race that takes place in and around Copenhagen, finishing in the Danish capital in what is most likely to be a bunch sprint. 

The event has secured a place on the UCI WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour calendars for its very first edition, and it will serve as one of the final opportunities for the sprinters to prepare themselves for the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia Women, respectively.

The Copenhagen sprint was initially announced in December 2023, as a legacy event from the Tour de France Grand Départ the previous year, with the ambition for the race to launch in 2025. Planning of the race came to fruition with the proposed routes for both the men’s and women’s events being announced on June 17 2024. 

The action takes place this weekend, with the women's race on June 21 and the men's race on June 22.

The route for the women is 151.3km. The first 120km are from Roskilde to Copenhagen, before three laps of an 11km circuit in Copenhagen. 

The route for the men is 235.7km. It begins with an 180km loop from Roskilde to Copenhagen before five laps of the same 11km circuit in Copenhagen. 

For those who are planning to attend the Copenhagen Sprint, whether for the women's race, men's race or both, there is a spectator guide available on the official race website. 

You can also find out about traffic information for the weekend of racing by clicking here, again courtesy of the official race website.

Both races begin in Roskilde, heading north to Frederikssund, passing Hillerød near Frederiksborg Castle and Fredensborg, where the men's peloton will clock up the extra 50km en route to Louisiana in Humlebæk before linking back up with the women's route near Hillerød. The route then heads south, skirting Furesøen, through Ballerup, and approaches Copenhagen from the west.

After Rødovre, the route enters the capital via Roskildevej, passing through Frederiksberg along Pile Allé, Allegade, and Falkoner Allé, before reaching Jagtvej in Nørrebro, and passing the Rosenberg Castle.

At Nørrebros Runddel, the riders will enter the 11km final circuit through the pan-flat streets of Copenhagen. The women will complete the loop three times, whilst the men will take on the circuit five times. Both races conclude on Sølvgade near the National Gallery of Denmark, where the first Copenhagen Sprint winners will be crowned.

Roskilde - Copenhagen (151.3 kilometres / 94 miles)

Roskilde to Copenhagen (235.7 kilometres / 146.5 miles)

When it comes to bunch sprints right now in the women's peloton, one rider stands head and shoulders above the rest: Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). The European champion has already claimed 10 victories on the road in 2025, including Milan-San Remo Donne and Gent-Wevelgem, and at 26 years of age, a staggering 103 professional victories so far. 

Wiebes has big ambitions ahead of both the Giro d'Italia Women and Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, and the Copenhagen Sprint could be the perfect race to fine-tune her sprint train and head to the major stage races full of confidence. 

SD-Worx have a strong lineup set to support the European champion, with Femke Gerritse, Marta Lach and Blanka Vas set to be key components of the leadout, with one of them able to step up if Wiebes has a problem that rules her out in the final sprint.

One of the key challenges to the European champion is likely to come in the form of the Lidl-Trek team, who have Elisa Balsamo as its leader. The former world champion is in good form, as illustrated by a stage win at the recent Tour de Suisse Women, and will be supported by a very strong team, just like Wiebes. Clara Copponi and home rider Emma Norsgaard will be important in a potential victory for Balsamo, but could step up if any issues occur for the Italian. Young Belgian Fleur Moors is also one to watch, as a rider in good form and with a quick finish, although Moors is likely to perform a teammate role for Lidl-Trek.

Former yellow jersey wearer at the Tour de France Femmes, Charlotte Kool (Picnic PostNL), will also have something to say and will want to break her drought, having not won since the opening two stages of the Tour last year. Rachele Barbieri (Picnic PostNL) will be a key lead-out rider for Kool and can also sprint if required.

Other riders to watch out for include: Lara Gillespie and Sofie van Rooijen (UAE Team ADQ), Susanne Andersen (Uno-X Mobility), Daria Pikulik and Kathrin Schweinberger (Human Powered Health), Sara Fiorin and Mylène De Zoete (CERATIZIT), Martina Fidanza and Nienke Veenhoven (Visma | Lease a Bike), and Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Home rider Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will have the support of a nation ahead of the inaugural edition of the Copenhagen Sprint. The Danish star seems to be better than ever in 2025 and heads to this race after a super successful Giro d'Italia, where Pedersen claimed four stage wins, the points classification, and had a stint in the pink jersey. 

Such is his versatility, Pedersen isn't considered a pure sprinter compared to the other top contenders on the startlist, but the extra motivation of a Danish WorldTour race will be helpful for the former world champion. As illustrated at every race so far in 2025, Pedersen will be supported by a super-strong Lidl-Trek team, which will feature riders such as Mathias Vacek, Ryan Gibbons, and Daan Hoole.

The rider who, on paper, is most likely the fastest rider in the race is Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike), who is also coming into the Copenhagen Sprint off the back of a successful Giro d'Italia. The Giro was a slow-burner for Kooij, but the 23-year-old Dutchman found his stride as the race went on, claiming two stage wins. If he is delivered into the right place in the closing metres, Kooij will be a tough man to beat.

There are plenty of riders who have racked up a ridiculous number of victories over the course of their careers, but are no longer prolific winners like in the past: Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Elia Viviani (Lotto) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech). Whilst a lot of attention will surround Kooij and Pedersen, there could be an opportunity for one of these riders to slip under the radar.

Riders who come into the race as outside contenders for victory include: Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious), and Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5)

Other riders who could be in the sprint shake-up include: Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL),  Matevž Govekar (Bahrain-Victorious), Maikel Zijlaard and Rick Pluimers (Tudor), Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5), Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech), Erlend Blikra, Stian Fredheim, Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Simon Dehairs, Jensen Plowright and Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Milan Menten (Lotto), Giovanni Lonardi, and Manuel Peñalver (Polti VisitMalta), and Alexander Salby (Denmark).