On 1 July 2022, the Grand Départ of the Tour de France. This year, the entire travelling circus will descend on Denmark. How that came about is still quite a history. More about that later. We travelled to the land of the Vikings back in May to do a proper course reconnaissance. Normally, the first stages of the TOur are along boring, straight roads. Work for the sprinters, with the occasional castle or other roadside highlight. Denmark has really tried its best to break that trend. What will that look like? Part 1 of Cycling in Denmark read here, but with cycling in Denmark: in the wake of the Tour start, we will take you across the finish line of the second stage, about 'the bridge' and then towards the kingdom of cycling. Tip of the hat: it is by no means flat here.
Text: Sander Kolsloot, photos: Camilly Hylleberg & Jakub Gerluff/VisitDenmark
Like a viking
As the mercury lingers just below 10 degrees and the sun frenetically hides behind a grey cloud cover, a large number of Danes (and a few journalists too) jump into the water for a fresh morning swim. A ritual not just reserved for the Danes. All over Scandinavia, you see people braving the cold early in the morning and starting the day nice and fresh. It is said to give a booster to the immune system. The famous 'Iceman' Wim Hof swears by it. This morning, the lure of the warm bed is more powerful than the cry of the cold sea. The viking swimming certificate will just have to wait.
Churches and more
A tour start is always an opportunity to highlight the region and important places in that region. Roskilde's big church, for instance, is an eye-catcher, but in Kallundborg, along the route of the second stage, you will also find a fine landmark. The 'Church of Our Lady' is a unique sight. Dating back to the 13th century, the church has a unique appearance, due to its five pointed towers. For cycling tourists, a nice stop to have a coffee in the old village as well. For the riders during the race, this will be the point of initial turmoil. The intermediate sprint is laid somewhere here and after the three climbs around Kårup, the different teams will try to thwart each other. With the Storebælt Bridge in sight, that will be beautiful.
Lunch under the bridge
Storebælt Bridge will be in sight throughout the stage. We follow the course towards the foot of the bridge and it all looks flat, but it keeps going up and down continuously. Could the organisers have deliberately chosen such a stage to wear down the sprinters? We ride again through endlessly beautiful rapeseed fields, through lovely villages where yellow spray-painted bikes mark the route. We have occasional breakdowns along the way, but the route is stunning. Our goal? A lunch spot at the foot of the bridge. Hard to find if you don't know it, but once we arrive, a lovely duo is waiting for us. They have put together an insane lunch using local produce. Indeed, we get fresh asparagus, which was cut yesterday. The weather is a bit chilly, but the woollen blankets help. The view of the immense bridge reminds us again: it's going to be haunted here!
Storebæltbroen
When the organisers of the Grand Depart Copenhagen Denmark entered talks with the ASO to bring the tour to Denmark, they got zero response. Christian Prudhomme had no ears for it. 'Too far away,' was the simple conclusion. Now it is known that other organisations were also able to persuade the Frenchman with shrewd tactics. The best tactic? An evening of good local grape juice, but above all: persistence. So too in Denmark's case study. Many conversations, bottles of wine and dinners later, the start-up got a possible chance: But then again, how to get from Denmark to France as quickly as possible (within 45 minutes by plane)? Well, that required an interim solution. With a passage through Belgium and a bit of calculation with 'the French Battle', Pruhdomme became more and more convinced. Still.
Destination Odense Nyborg
The Danish organisers' original plan was a finish in cycling city of cycling cities Odense. Pas si vite (not so fast) said the ASO. Because in 2015, there was a fantastic finish at Neeltje Jans. That Storebælt bridge, that could be a second Neeltje Jans. The verdict from France was clear: finish on the bridge, or not! It seems that Prudhomme even requested the wind reports for the past 10 years, from the first weekend in July. The intention? On the side, spectacle! With the compromise finally reached, Nyborg got the finish in her lap. The line was drawn on the 'burger street'. Much to the amusement of local hero Bo Hamburger. The street owes its name not to the former TVM celebrity, but to the fact that ferries left here. The hamburger restaurants on the street are a lasting reminder of Nyborg as a ferry port.
Crossing the bridge yourself
By the way, do you want to cycle across the bridge yourself? You can't. At least, not normally. It is a 100km road and there are pretty fierce crosswinds. On 11 June 2022, there will be an exception when the bridge will be closed for a real 'Tour' ride. You can then cycle across the bridge yourself and experience what the riders will experience in July 2022. Hopefully, this will become a recurring event.
Kingdom of Cycling
For many, the town of Vejle (pronounced Weile) will evoke few special memories. It is a town near Billund, where it is 'lego before' and 'lego after'. Yet this town will be the epicentre of a tour stage on 3 July. Rightly so? We think so. By the way, they think so themselves too, because they haven't chosen the claim 'Kingdom of Cycling' for nothing. That there is a play on words in there should come as no surprise. The Danes may not be the most exuberant of nations, but in terms of puns and tongue-in-cheek references, they are perhaps the best. The climbs in Vejle can be called steep, with a strong resemblance to the Ardennes. Will a forcing be made here?
Bluetooth
King Blue tooth and his father are arguably the founding fathers of Denmark. At the very least, they were the first to have the name Denmark chiselled into a stone. This stone, on display at the museum in Jelling, contains short messages. A kind of twitter but for the internet. At the museum itself, Danish humour is once again around the corner. With the hashtag #hetmuseumhetdichtsbijhettourparcoursbuitenhetlouvre, they like to make fun. The distance to the course? 208 whole centimetres, measured out from an imaginary spot. At least, I think so. The hashtag is not exactly trending yet. King blue tooth is posthumously the namesake of Bluetooth technology, though. This man was a visionary.
Sonderjylland
After the round of Vejle, the peloton will move at breakneck speed towards Aabenraa and final destination Sønderborg. On the way, they will pay little attention to the pretty town of Christiansfeld, where the cobblestones seem laid for good racing. The peloton will avoid them like the plague. Then they will also miss the honey cakes, typical of this picturesque town. We get a heap of them and most of them are gone before we move on. Meanwhile, Alex Pedersen, the man behind the whole Tourstart Denmark idea joins us. Pedersen is the man of anecdotes, but also the one who lobbied for this fest from 2012 onwards. A sour note for him that he is no longer officially involved in the fest. He does not seem to care. Journalists waiting for us along the route he is friendly to us and he also visibly enjoys himself in the group. This is his baby.
Cote de Genner
Just before Aabenraa, we drive along the coast and dive into the hills. A couple of spirited 'côtes' separate us from the hotel in Aabenraa. It all sounds very lovely, but the Cote de Genner is a kilometre-long hill. With its forestation and viaduct, it would not look out of place in a Flemish or Ardennes classic. It may not be Koppenberg, but still. The peloton moves on through the yellow rapeseed fields and with two blinks they are through Aabenraa. The road from the coastline goes up and down undulating again. We make another stop in Gråsten, where the Royal Kitchen Garden is open to the public. Anyway, the carrot cake tastes good and then we head back towards Sønderborg. There, the city is ready for it. The bridge over the water has been turned yellow and at the finish line of the 3rd stage we are greeted with wild enthusiasm.
Denmark is ready
The reception in Sønderborg is also the end of our route and journey along the tour route. What a journey it has been. for six days, cycling was the order of the day. One thing has certainly become clear. Denmark is all set to go. They have therefore had an extra two years of preparation, but nevertheless the country is really ready. You can see it everywhere along the route. Yellow bikes, green references, the dots on the Cote de Genner. Big banners referring that 'the Tour is coming'.
Route
Would you like to follow our routes and also know what it is like to ride in the wake of the Tour? It is a beautiful area. We recommend heading in that direction in late April, early May, when the rapeseed fields are in bloom. That also gives the pretty pictures. Anyway, you can find the routes below. Stick them together, cut them in half, but most of all drive them!
