Lars Boom of Astana has won the opening stage of the 25th Post Danmark Rundt (Tour Of Denmark).
Ben Swift, fresh from his third place in the RideLondon Classic and stagaire Alex Peters of Team Sky and Bora-Argon’s Scott Thwaites provided the British interest in a race which started with a 180km stage from Struer to Holstebro.
On a rainy day, five riders in Brian Van Goethem, Asgreen, Bruge, Muhlberger and Ollegaard. went clear long enough for Van Goethem of Roompot to take the first KOM climb.
They were soon pulled back by a peloton which split allowed 43 riders to get thirty seconds ahead before they were caught just by the feedzone with less than one hundred kilometres left.
Pim Ligthart of Lotto Soudal, Kenny De Ketele of Topsport, Valerio Agnoli of Astana, Casper Pedersen of Riwal Platform, Ivar Slik of Roompot and Stefan Djurhuus of Team Almeborg formed a new break and were quickly ahead by a minute and twenty seconds with 77kms left and by three minutes with seventy kilometres remaining.
That was down to 1.43 with forty three kilometres of racing to go and the increase in pace in the peloton forced the front group, which had Ligthart taking the third KOM, to start attacking each other rather than working together.
Ligthart took the sprint before a crash took down a number of riders including Emil Halvorsen of Roompot.
Into the final twenty kilometres of the stage and the gap the six out front had, dropped to 28 seconds. And with 16.6kms left, the break was brought back to the fold on a stage which finished with three laps of Holstebro on a 3.8km circuit.
There was nine kilometres left when a new break of Lars Bak, Andersen, Lars Boom, Juul-Jensen, Marcato and Pedersen formed and they got straight into a fifteen second lead over a peloton which has MTN Qhubeka on the front with two laps left.
The gap went out to 22 seconds with 5.3kms left and was still at 22 seconds when they started the final lap on wet roads.
Bidons were jettisoned as this six started to think about the victory whilst Lars Petter Nordhaug of Team Sky tried to bring up the peloton.
Lars Boom attacked with 1400 metres left and his surprise move gave him a bit of breathing space. Boom of Astana got through the twists and turns and he won in 3.44.06.