Tivoli Park, an amusement park in the heart of central Copenhagen, was the beautiful backdrop for the team presentation. Through a gallery of flowers and trees, the riders rode their bicycles onto the podium, team by team.
The tension was built up, with the big teams all the way to the tail end. But the large crowds also cheered frantically for the smaller teams, especially if they had a Dane in their team.
Jonas Vingegaard, second in the final standings last year, probably got the most applause. He was clearly affected by it himself. Primoz Roglic completely went along with the atmosphere, because when asked who would decide whether they would ride for Roglic or Vingegaard, he followed the crowd chanting: “Vingegaard!”
Wout van Aert also contributed to the good humor that was wrapped like a warm blanket over the presentation. How many stages will he have won when he leaves Denmark? “There are only 3 rides here, surely?” he sounded with a smile, ambitiously.
Finally, defending champion Tadej Pogacar was performed, again the big favorite. “But if I have to choose between having fun for 3 weeks and winning the Tour at all costs, I choose to have fun.”
The protagonists are clearly looking forward to it, the Danish cycling fans even more so. The Tour will start on Friday with a time trial through Copenhagen.
