Herning Crit

Last night we did a crit in the town of Herning. The big star attraction was Fränk Schleck and a few other Saxo Bank riders. So a huge number of people made it out to watch the race. There were people lining the whole two kilometer course.

I was fortunate enough to roll to the line just as people started lining up so I got myself a second row start just behind the two TdF stage winners Nicki Sørensen and Schleck. There is me chilling in the background.

The first prime of the race happen on lap 3 and a group went off the front going for it. Then the Danish champ Matti Breschel went across, then Brian Vanborg from Liquigas. Sensing that this might be the break of the race I went after Vanborg. I never got onto his wheel but I made it up to the break on my own, and I was the last one to get across. We then worked smoothly, but no one was really driving it. Breschel and Vanborg were taking pretty weak turns so the rest of us were content to do as they did. It meant that we never got more than 30 seconds on the peleton, but we stayed that way for an hour.


We were pretty content to share the work and the primes.

Then with 9 laps to go the attacks started out of the break and I ended up in the back split, with 4 riders in front. But since the peleton was so close everyone ended up coming back. Once I got caught was content to just roll across the line, getting out of the way of anyone trying to sprint. Berling got himself to the front and did a great sprint to end up 3rd.

In the end it was an all Danish continental team podium, with the best Saxo Bank guy, Anders Lund in 4th. I like that in Denmark most of the post tour crits are not fixed like they are in other parts of Europe, it means that you actually get to race with the pros instead of riding around in a parade. Overall a decent day, this was my first time being in a real break in a pro crit, so I think the from is good before the big goals of Tour of Utah and USPro nationals.