From Saturday 21 June, the WorldTour has a new classic in its midst. Copenhagen Sprint brought the best of world cycling to the streets of the Danish capital, a city designed for bikes where the use of two wheels is almost privileged over that of carsWhere there is rigorous discipline regarding road traffic and enormous respect for cyclists. The city dedicated itself to the cycling race for two days (the women's race on Saturday, the men's race on Sunday). and there have been no complaints from drivers about a car-free Copenhagen, on the contrary…
Barbara Guarischi, competing with the SD Worx She witnessed firsthand how the city reacted to the new event, for which it had been preparing for a year: «It was a wonderful experience, I can say that we need more trials in big cities like this, because I believe that criteriums like this are a splendid promotional message for cycling.A well-organized race, especially in the final circuit, with the entire city center involved. I have competed often in Denmark, for two years I was part of the Virtu Cycling Team, the team managed by Bjarne Rijs, I also went there for retreats and I always liked it a lot."
What was the route like?
We started from Roskilde, outside the city and the first part was all in the countrysideI think something needs to be revisited there. Some roundabouts and some signs weren't handled properly. We were driving on narrow streets, and there were quite a few crashes. We had a favorable wind until we entered the city, and in fact, the average speed was always very high.
And in the city?
We went really fast and it wasn't easy to manage the race. We moved forward to keep Lorraine Wiebes out of trouble, but it was a high-stress race. There were also crashes in the group, which split up and there were very few riders left in front.Two girls on our team fell and that put us in difficulty, but we still managed the final.
In fact, it was clear that the race was being contested by a very small group…
In fact, on the penultimate lap there was another crash and the group fell apart. There were about twenty of us left in front and for us it was gold, because we had fewer opponents to keep an eye on. At that point we were able to manage the sprint even without the train because I was the only one left with LorenaWe made do a bit, I had to start a little earlier than usual and she also found herself launching her sprint from a very long way away, but she gained important meters, winning clearly.
Were there any moments of difficulty? Television footage showed that the European champion was often stuck in the pack on the final lap…
We always stayed in contact except for one moment where I lost her on a bend, then I brought her back in front. It's very easy to run with her, she follows me with full confidence, I can manage the race knowing that she's there, that's why when I didn't see her at my wheel I was a little worried, I didn't understand what could have happened to her.
Returning to the city's welcome, how do you think it responded?
Clearly during the final stages of the race we are very concentrated and we are not very aware of what is around us, but I have to say that you could feel the warmth of the people, there were so many of them along the streetsThe organization was very good for a first edition, if I had to say I would only recommend employing more people in the management of the initial part, the approach to Copenhagen and in the final circuit to make it a little easier, with some straight sections on the long roads that the city is full ofOverall I felt pretty safe, but a little more care would be helpful, as it would also greatly reduce the risk of falls.
Is it a race for sprinters?
Certainly, although in the first part the wind can have an effect on the race. But with 100 kilometers to go it is unlikely that he will try to create a fan, would have little chance of leading to anything good…
