Vingegaard returned to Denmark aboard a private jet and was guided to land by two Danish Air Force F-16s. Copenhagen, where this year’s Tour de France adventure started at the end of July, he then drove through in an open car and was greeted by crowds of people on the streets on the way to the city hall. And the finished human sea created a captivating atmosphere right under the town hall balcony, from which the Danish hero greeted the fans.
“Fantastic and mega-touching,” commented the frenetic reception with the movement of the second Danish Tour winner in history after Bjarne Riis in 1996. “Somehow the Tour triumph still eludes me. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined. Simply unbelievable,” declared Vingegaard.
And the Danes themselves can now argue about where the triumph of their 25-year-old hero should be placed in history. They probably haven’t experienced similar madness since the shocking triumph of the local footballers at EURO 1992. “We haven’t achieved anything greater in sport,” 59-year-old Allan Olsen told the AFP agency convincingly.
Wednesday’s celebrations moved from the town hall to the famous Tivoli Park, where 35,000 fans were waiting for Vingegaard. On Thursday, the new Tour champion is preparing for another part of the fun in Glyngore, near his hometown of Hillerslev.
