Jordi Meeus takes his next victory after his stage win at the Tour de Suisse. The Belgian rider left Switzerland early after his triumph and decided to start in the Copenhagen Sprint. Not least due to a crash in the peloton, several sprinters did not make it to the front shortly before the finish in Copenhagen. First and foremost the top favourite Olav Kooij, who had already won the last stage of the Giro d'Italia. About half of the peloton was involved in this crash. After the race, Meeus was visibly happy with his decision to finish the Tour de Suisse early.
It feels really good and it was the right decision to start here - Jordi Meeus
How the Copenhagen Sprint 2025 went
Copenhagen Sprint: Roskilde - Copenhagen
Copenhagen Sprint 2025: Copenhagen Sprint, Roskilde - Copenhagen
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | 05:01:15 |
| 2 | Cofidis | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | Team TotalEnergies | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | Arkéa - B&B Hotels | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | Team Picnic PostNL | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Intermarché - Wanty | +00:00:00 |
The new race on the men's and women's World Tour calendar is a real treat for the teams' sprinters. This was one of the reasons why Jordi Meeus decided to leave early after his victory in the sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse two days earlier in order to arrive in Copenhagen on time. However, the Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe sprinter was by no means the only one on the start line in Copenhagen. Some of the best sprinters in the world wanted to secure victory in the new World Tour race.
Up and away
After just a few kilometres, five riders broke away from the peloton and formed the breakaway group of the day. The teams in the peloton seemed happy with the group and initially allowed Jensen Plowright, George Jackson, Victor Vercouillie, Mads Andersen and Joshua Gudnitz to keep their distance. However, the five riders did not get more than four minutes, especially after Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Team Jayco AlUla took over the chase with 150 kilometres to go. With 100 kilometres remaining, the lead was only 1:40 minutes and was constantly decreasing second by second.
Jensen Plowright secured the points classification by taking the intermediate sprint in Ganløse and finishing second in the two other classifications. The intermediate sprint in Ganløse also caused a split in the breakaway group, resulting in two riders dropping out. However, Gudnitz was able to catch up with the three leaders, while George Jackson's time in the group was over. Team Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe then took over in the peloton.
Tired legs
On the circuit in Copenhagen, the breakaway group continued to fall apart, with some riders from the peloton jumping to the front. The sprinters and their teams had to complete five laps of ten kilometres each through the Danish capital. The new group, consisting of Daan Hoole, Jensen Plowright, Cedric Beullens, Mads Andersen and Casper Pedersen, had little chance of gaining a large lead from the start. The five riders did not gain more than 20 seconds. A few metres before the final finish line, there was a big crash that split the field. Olav Kooij, among others, rolled on slowly afterwards, visibly battered.
Not to be beaten
At first it looked as if Dylan Groenewegen had his nose in front in the final sprint, but then other riders pushed past on the left. Meeus only took the lead a few metres before the finish line and was thus able to secure his second victory in just three days. The decision to withdraw from the Tour de Suisse, despite the stage win, therefore paid off.
Leon Weidner
Working student
