The women’s peloton is heading to Denmark for a brand new WorldTour event, with the inaugural Copenhagen Sprint offering a fresh twist on the calendar. Held on Saturday 21st June 2025, this landmark one-day race starts in historic Roskilde and finishes with a fast and technical circuit finale through central Copenhagen. Combining rich cultural heritage with one of the most advanced cycling cities on earth, the race is already being touted as a future fixture for the sprinting elite.
Copenhagen Sprint has been launched as a high-profile addition to the UCI Women’s WorldTour, developed in partnership between Danish municipalities, national sports bodies, and the cycling federation. It joins a growing list of major races hosted in Denmark, following the success of the Tour de France Grand Départ in 2022, the Tour of Scandinavia, and Denmark’s long-running PostNord Danmark Rundt. While the men’s race will run a day later on Sunday, the women’s peloton gets top billing on Saturday over a 151.3 kilometre course.
The route begins at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, capital of Denmark’s Viking legacy and once home to the Tour de France start. From there, the riders head east across nine municipalities, weaving through rolling countryside, coastal windbreaks, and towns that will be packed with cycling fans. It’s not expected to be a selective parcours – the real challenge will come from crosswinds or high speed, not elevation. The final section in Copenhagen features three laps of an 11-kilometre city circuit, finishing in front of the National Gallery. With broad boulevards, sharp turns, and enthusiastic crowds expected, it will be a lively and technical finale built for sprinters with top-end speed and positioning.
What’s clear is that this isn’t just another sprint race – Copenhagen Sprint is designed to be a showcase for Danish cycling, combining elite sport with a wider push for sustainable mobility and cultural engagement. For the riders, the flat roads and city centre loops promise a fast and furious run-in. For the fans, it’s a chance to see the world’s best sprinters tested in a city where bicycles outnumber cars.
Previous Winners
2024
Not held
2023
Not held
2022
Not held
2025 Copenhagen Sprint Race Profile
Live TV Coverage
Saturday 21st June 2025
Live on Discovery/Max/TNT Sports across Europe
Live: 14:10-16:45
All times in BST
Twitter: Updates
Startlist: FirstCycling
Copenhagen Sprint 2025 Contenders
Lorena Wiebes starts as the natural favourite and brings with her a powerful SD Worx unit focused entirely on delivering her to the line. She’s kept a lower race load through 2025 so far, but remains clinical when it matters. Her season includes a win at Ronde van Drenthe and another at Scheldeprijs, showcasing that trademark acceleration when her team gives her clean air. Barbara Guarischi is typically the final leadout, with Blanka Vas and Femke Gerritse providing the structure that allows Wiebes to wait, wait, and launch. This is a field she can dominate if they get the timing right, especially on the flat, wide roads of Denmark.
Over at Lidl-Trek, Elisa Balsamo is showing flashes of her former self. She returned to the podium at Vuelta a Burgos with a second place on Stage 2 and then won a stage of the Tour de Suisse. She’s been steadily improving throughout the spring and into this summer period. The partnership with Clara Copponi has started to bear fruit again after some inconsistencies earlier in the year. Balsamo also picked up a top-5 at La Classique Morbihan and remains sharp when the sprint builds are smooth. If the race becomes a drag race in the final 250 metres, she’s one of the few with the top-end speed to match Wiebes.
There’s a growing sense of pressure around Charlotte Kool this season. Despite strong positioning and a consistently sharp leadout from Rachele Barbieri and Pfeiffer Georgi, the victories have eluded her. She’s come close multiple times, with second places at Trofeo Felanitx and another podium at Elsy Jacobs, but hasn’t yet stood on the top step in 2025. Still, she’s due. Kool thrives in flat sprints like this, and her finishing speed remains among the best. If her leadout delivers a clean final 500 metres, this could finally be the day she converts those near misses into a win.
Chiara Consonni leads the line for Canyon SRAM zondacrypto and continues to be a reliable presence near the front of sprints. She took 3rd in the opening stage at the Tour of Britain Women and has quietly posted top-10s at Nokere Koerse and Brugge-De Panne. With Maria Martins and Zoe Backstedt in the leadout, she’s well covered tactically, particularly if chaos erupts late. Consonni isn’t often the first to launch, but she’s consistently among the best when it comes to surfing wheels and choosing the right moment. If the front bunch slows and hesitates, she’s capable of snapping up the win.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike could go in two directions, with both Nienke Veenhoven and Martina Fidanza offering credible sprint options. Veenhoven has arguably had the better campaign, taking 2nd at Omloop der Kempen and 3rd at Trofee Maarten Wynants in smaller but well-contested sprints. Fidanza, by contrast, started the season strongly with a win at Trofee Maarten Wynants and took the overall at Festival Elsy Jacobs à Luxembourg, but has since seen fewer clear sprint opportunities. If the team commits to one rider early and nails the positioning, they have a genuine outside shot at the podium here. The suggestion from their pre-race website note is that it will be Veenhoven.
Sara Fiorin continues to build experience in WorldTour-level races and this flatter course offers a chance to test her sprint legs without the disruption of long climbs. She’s been quietly consistent across the spring and summer, including a strong lead-out role at Vuelta a Burgos. Her top-20 finish at the Festival Elsy Jacobs in May showed she can hold position in tricky finales. Kristyna Burlova, still early in her development, has raced frequently in support roles but has also contested finishes on flatter terrain. If the team opts for a two-pronged sprint plan, they may look to surf wheels and try to get a top-10 result from one of them rather than commit to a full lead-out. Their best-case scenario may involve anticipating the sprint and getting the jump on the bigger sprint trains.
The most intriguing storyline comes with Shari Bossuyt, who returns to racing following her two-year ban. Still only 24, Bossuyt was among the most exciting young riders before her suspension, with a European U23 title and a World Championship medal on the track. Her form is unknown, but the raw speed and tactical sense that made her successful likely haven’t disappeared. She’ll be joined by Alex Manly, whose 2025 has included strong results at Tour de Normandie Féminin and Classic Brugge-De Panne. Manly has proven herself as both a dependable support rider and a punchy sprinter in her own right – her experience will be crucial in a chaotic bunch sprint scenario. If Bossuyt isn’t ready to sprint all-out, Manly could well be the fallback.
Human Powered Health arrives with arguably the deepest sprint setup of the mid-tier teams. Daria Pikulik, making her return to competition at the beginning of June, has already shown she’s regaining form with 4th place at GP Mazda Schelkens. Although not yet back to her 2023 level, when she won a stage at the Tour Down Under, she’s clearly heading in the right direction. She’ll be supported by Kathrin Schweinberger, Maggie Coles-Lyster, and Lily Williams, all of whom have had relevant results this year. Schweinberger was 5th at Scheldeprijs and 7th at Omloop der Kempen, always consistent on flat finishes. Coles-Lyster was 3rd at Trofeo Marratxi-Felanitx and 7th at Ronde de Mouscron, showcasing a sharp kick when placed well. Williams, who finished 3rd here in 2024, has been solid all spring, often working as a lead-out or contesting smaller bunch sprints herself. With this level of depth, they can adapt depending on how the race unfolds.
Georgia Baker is likely to be the focal point for Liv AlUla Jayco. The course plays to her strengths – flat, fast, and less attritional than the Classics she’s often deployed in. Baker has spent much of her season supporting teammates like Letizia Paternoster but gets the nod here as the finisher. She was 9th at Classic Brugge-De Panne and 10th at Ronde de Mouscron, solid results that show she can handle the high-speed chaos of WorldTour sprints. Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Quinty Ton will both play important support roles. Ton has had a quietly productive year, with top-20 finishes at Itzulia and Classic Brugge-De Panne, and often finds herself on the front end late into races. Their lead-out needs to be well-drilled to compete with more established sprint trains, but Baker has the speed to make the most of it.
Sofie van Rooijen returns to flatter terrain that better suits her fast-finishing style. She has been building form across the spring, with her 4th place at Ronde de Mouscron one of her standout rides so far in 2025. While she’s also been active in lead-out roles this season, particularly when the terrain gets harder, this race offers her a clear opportunity to lead the line. She’ll be supported by Tereza Neumanova and Sofia Bertizzolo, both of whom have a history of performing in lumpy terrain but are more than capable in a lead-out train. Neumanova has placed top-10 in several smaller sprints this year, while Bertizzolo was 9th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and 10th at GP Oetingen. If van Rooijen is delivered to the final 200 metres in the front five, she has every chance of cracking the podium.
Uno-X Mobility look set to back Susanne Andersen in the Copenhagen Sprint, with the Norwegian having shown far more reliable form than teammate Anniina Ahtosalo in 2025. Andersen has been solid throughout the spring, picking up 9th in the Vuelta a Burgos prologue and consistently finishing around the top-15 in sprints at races like Classic Brugge-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem. While she’s not the quickest in a pure drag race, her racecraft and positioning skills make her a threat if the sprint becomes chaotic. Ahtosalo, who was a promising lead-out and finisher last year, hasn’t found her legs this season and has yet to post a meaningful result. Unless something has dramatically changed behind the scenes, Uno-X are more likely to commit to Andersen as their finisher on this flat, fast course.
Copenhagen Sprint 2025 Outsiders
Among the outsiders, Arkea-B&B Hotels brings a duo who could surprise if things break their way. Michaela Drummond looked sharp earlier in the season with 4th and 5th-place finishes in Spain, showing the kind of finishing speed that can net a result in a reduced bunch sprint. Since then, she’s battled setbacks, including training crashes and illness, which have disrupted her momentum. Even so, if she’s back near full health, she’s a real contender for the top-10. Majo van’t Geloof, on the other hand, hasn’t posted a major result since her 4th place at Gent-Wevelgem back in March, but she returns to action here as part of a fresh race block. With her strength on flatter courses and experience in chaotic finales, she remains one to watch, especially if Drummond is still on the comeback trail.
Cofidis have quietly put together a solid sprint unit with multiple cards to play. Victoire Berteau, fresh off an 8th at Dwars door het Hageland, thrives in aggressive, attritional races and could find a finish like Copenhagen’s suits her better than a pure drag race. Valentina Fortin has been steadily putting up results all spring, including 7th at Antwerp Port Epic and a podium with 3rd at Omloop der Kempen. She has the speed and resilience to go well here if she finds the right wheel late on, especially if the bigger lead-outs misfire.
From VolkerWessels, both Scarlett Souren and Lonneke Uneken bring decent recent form. Souren has had a difficult season overall, but her 8th at GP Mazda Schelkens earlier this month suggests things are finally trending upward. If she continues that trajectory, a top-10 isn’t out of the question. Uneken has been more consistent, taking 10th at Antwerp Port Epic and 14th at Dwars door het Hageland. While neither is expected to win, they’re capable of surfing the wheels and capitalising if the front of the sprint becomes disorganised.
Also worth noting is Camilla Rånes Bye for Team Coop-Repsol, who grabbed 8th on the final stage of the Volta Catalunya and continues to show she can finish fast in the right conditions. While she’s still working on consistency at this level, she has enough form to sneak into the top-10 if things go her way, especially with limited pressure and no clear expectations on her shoulders.
Top 3 Prediction
⦿ Lorena Wiebes
⦿ Elisa Balsamo
⦿ Chiara Consonni
