Ridolfo improving in Denmark with 14th on stage two

Team Novo Nordisk went into today’s second stage of the PostNord Danmark Rundt wanting to improve on yesterday’s performance and succeeded, with 24-year-old Filippo Ridolfo sprinting to 14th place by the sea in Skive.

The 182.9km stage from Glyngøre to Skive was a flat day for the sprinters,  but the wind made sure it was anything but straightforward. A breakaway got clear in the early kilometres and the main battle for much of the stage was against the elements, with the open roads of Jutland exposing the peloton to crosswinds that at times threatened to split the bunch and put positioning firmly at a premium.

“It was windy most of the day, but worse on the flat open sections of road,” said Ridolfo. “It split after the feed zone and it was a chase for around 30km before it came back together. It wasn’t so nervy, because the big teams were working to bring the groups back for the sprint and as we hit the circuits around Skive it was all in for the finale.”

The breakaway held less than a minute going onto the picturesque local laps around Skive, and with each pass of the finish line the bunch drew closer before the peloton reeled in the last escapees with around 7.5 kilometres to go, setting up the anticipated bunch sprint finish. 

“I wanted to get into the top ten,” continued Ridolfo, But ironically I was better placed on the penultimate lap and found myself boxed in the sprint. It was full gas and I could feel it, but top 15 is still positive — better than yesterday and the goal is to keep improving.”

With tomorrow’s stage three a demanding 202.9km hilly ride from Fredericia to Vejle with a summit finish, the race is set to take on a very different character as the climbers come to the fore and the battle for the overall classification intensifies.