Are Visma set to dominate? - 2026 PostNord Tour of Denmark preview

Mads Pedersen will not return to defend his title on home roads after dominating the 2025 edition.

The Dane won three of the five stages and secured the overall victory by 1:28 over his teammate and fellow Scandinavian Jakob Soderqvist. It was a commanding demonstration of Pedersen’s ability to control a stage race across varied terrain.

His absence follows a successful Tour de France campaign, where he claimed a stage victory and won the green jersey.

Recent winners of the Danish race include Arnaud De Lie in 2024, Mads Pedersen in 2023, Christophe Laporte in 2022 and Remco Evenepoel in 2021.

The 2026 PostNord Tour of Denmark opens with a 197.2 kilometre stage that starts and finishes in Aalborg.

The peloton initially heads southwest, briefly following the coastline before returning towards Aalborg for a decisive local circuit. The circuit begins with 19.5 kilometres remaining and includes three ascents of Molleparken.

The climb is 9.7 kilometres long and features maximum gradients of 10 per cent. With the final ascent coming inside the last 10 kilometres, it could provide the perfect launchpad for a late attack.

Stage 2 offers the clearest opportunity for the sprinters. The 182.9 kilometre route runs from Glyngøre, hometown of Joans Vingaard, to Skive, where the riders will complete three laps of a local finishing circuit.

The third stage is expected to be the queen stage of the 2026 edition. Across 202.9 kilometres, the riders will face more than 2,400 metres of elevation gain.

Flat roads will be in short supply, with a constantly undulating course and several sharp climbs in the finale. The stage should expose any weaknesses among the general classification contenders and could produce significant time gaps.

Stage 4 covers 172.6 kilometres between Rudkøbing and Faaborg. After a largely flat opening half, the race becomes increasingly demanding as the peloton approaches the finish.

A succession of climbs in the final part of the stage is expected to play a major role in deciding the overall classification.

The race concludes with a 126 kilometre stage from Køge to Rødovre, just outside central Copenhagen. With only 464 metres of elevation gain, the final day should belong to the fastest riders in the peloton.

Visma | Lease a Bike arrives with two of the biggest names on the start list: Christophe Laporte, winner of the 2022 edition, and Wout van Aert.

Their experience, versatility and proven ability in demanding one day races make them the leading favourites. However, questions remain over their current form and how Visma | Lease a Bike will divide leadership responsibilities between them.

Lidl-Trek also arrives with a strong line-up, led by last year’s runner-up Jakob Söderqvist and Søren Kragh Andersen, who returns to racing after crashing at the Baloise Belgium Tour.

The absence of an individual time trial is a disadvantage for Söderqvist, given his strength against the clock. Even so, the young Swede should still have the versatility and consistency required to challenge near the top of the general classification.

As with Van Aert and Laporte, the main question surrounding Kragh Andersen is his current form. If he has recovered well, the rolling terrain and selective finales should suit his attacking style.

Alpecin-Premier Tech will look to Tibor del Grosso. The young Dutchman is likely to race aggressively, particularly on stages 3 and 4, where the repeated climbs should suit his attacking style.

Lukáš Kubiš will be the rider to watch for Unibet Rose Rockets. The Slovakian has established himself as a strong performer on undulating terrain with a fast finish.

Corbin Strong of NSN is another rider who combines climbing strength with a powerful sprint. He demonstrated those qualities when he won the punishing finish at the Circuit Franco Belge in June and could emerge as a serious general classification contender.

Lotto-Intermarché brings promising talent Mathieu Kockelmann to Denmark. The young Luxembourger remains relatively unproven at this level, but the selective nature of the route could provide him with an opportunity to deliver a breakthrough result.

Other riders worth watching include Matyáš Kopecký of Unibet Rose Rockets, Matys Grysel of Lotto-Intermaché, Tom Crabbe of Team Flanders-Baloise, Martin Marcellusi of Bardiani CSF 7 Saber, Alexander Kamp and Rasmus Tiller of Uno-X Mobility and Dario Igor Belletta of Team Polti VisitMalta.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Corbin Strong
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Wout van Aert, Jakob Soderqvist
⭐️⭐️⭐️  Lukáš Kubiš, Alexander Kamp, Christophe Laporte, Tibor del Grosso
⭐️⭐️  Matys Grysel, Søren Kragh Andersen
⭐️  Mathieu Kockelmann, Matyáš Kopecký, Martin Marcellusi, Rasmus Tiller