The first edition of the Copenhagen Sprint Women was billed as one for the pure sprinters, and that is exactly how it unfolded over 151 kilometres of mostly flat racing from Roskilde to the Danish capital. An early break of four riders, Meis Poland, Britt De Grave, Julia Bergström and April Tacey, set the tone and established a small lead across the rolling Danish countryside. However, with most teams eyeing a bunch finish, the move was kept on a short leash and gradually reeled back as the peloton navigated the run-in towards Copenhagen.
That was when things started to get tense. Riders fought for position into the city as the peloton faced three laps of an 11km finishing circuit crammed with 15 tight corners and a fair amount of street furniture. The technical layout created natural pinch points and, without marshals or adequate warning signs, these became real hazards. A sizeable crash brought down several riders, including SD Worx-Protime’s Blanka Vas, a key member of Lorena Wiebes’ lead-out train, forcing her to abandon and throwing team plans into disarray.
Undeterred, SD Worx-Protime began adjusting on the fly. The fight for position ramped up again as the race reached the final lap and the 40-rider peloton became ever more strung out through the narrow turns. Another crash on the last lap split the bunch again just 8km from the line, setting up a tense chase and reducing the size of the sprinting group.
Wiebes surges clear despite the chaos
Despite the disrupted lead-out, Wiebes’ teammates still managed to drop her in a strong position approaching the finish. Italian riders Elisa Balsamo and Chiara Consonni fought for wheels alongside Charlotte Kool, but when Barbara Guarischi hit the front and lifted the pace, nobody could live with Wiebes. The European champion kicked early into the long finishing straight and powered clear to win by several bike lengths, making it her 104th career victory. Balsamo crossed the line for second, just ahead of Consonni, with Nienke Veenhoven in fifth after a brave late surge.
Wiebes was delighted with the win but also clearly frustrated at what had happened during the race. In her post-race remarks, she explained that she was annoyed at the UCI for pushing new rules on handlebar width without ensuring races like this one are properly secured. She thought the lack of signalisation for central reservations and pinch points had created dangerous conditions and contributed directly to the crashes that marred the event. Vas, she noted, was supposed to be a big part of the lead-out, so losing her forced the team to rethink their strategy on the fly. Even so, she was full of praise for Guarischi’s final effort, saying that her teammate had delivered a really strong lead-out and given her the perfect platform to go early. Starting her sprint a bit earlier than planned, she felt, was still better than leaving it too late.
Other sprinters reflect on a chaotic day
Consonni was equally pleased with her result, especially given that she had come straight from altitude camp with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto. The Italian praised the teamwork and positioning through the treacherous laps and was satisfied to come away with a podium. Veenhoven was upbeat too, proud that her Visma-Lease a Bike team had kept her up front and that, even after losing a bit of ground in one of the final corners, she had the legs to come back and fight for fifth.
For all the spectacle that the crowds witnessed along the streets of Copenhagen, the overriding message from riders was clear: it was an exciting race to add to the Women’s WorldTour calendar, but organisers and the UCI must do more to ensure everyone’s safety in the future. The men will tackle the same route on Sunday, and all eyes will be on whether lessons from the crashes today can help make for a smoother race tomorrow.
Photo Credit: Andreas Roungkvist2025 Copenhagen Sprint Women result
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Main photo credit: Getty
