Human Powered Health is in Denmark for the Copenhagen Sprint on June 13. The 156 km race takes the peloton from the major ancient Viking settlement of Roskilde and through the countryside before finishing with a three-lap circuit on the streets of the nation’s capital.
Copenhagen is one of the most bike-friendly cities in Europe, and this weekend plays host to the Women’s WorldTour peloton for a race billed as a mini world championship of speedsters.
The peloton passes through rural towns on its way across Zealand, which include Frederikssund, home of the Viking Games, before three laps of a twisty 11 km circuit in the city. The 15 corners on each lap call for vigilance and require sprint trains to be on their A game before a dead straight final kilometer dash to the line.
In 2025, Lily Williams finished sixth, salvaging a top-ten after half the team had crashed out of the race in an unfortunate incident leading to the circuit. As last year’s inaugural edition proved, Copenhagen is not a nailed-on bunch sprint, with road furniture and a twisting finale having almost as large an impact on the race as the athletes.
Maggie Coles-Lyster is well-versed in such finales and proved this on the WorldTour level at the Giro d’Italia Women, sprinting to second place in the technical stage 6 finish. The Canadian is joined by Austrian champion Kathrin Schweinberger, who herself is in good form, having scored a podium finish and two further top-fives in recent sprint races. Silvia Zanardi, who can count two WorldTour bunch sprint top-tens to her name in May, completes a dynamic trio. They are backed up in the lead-out by Yurani Blanco, Jente Koops and Katia Ragusa, and will go up against a field stacked with firepower.
Where the race is won
Positioning Is Everything
On a course with little climbing to split the field, the battle for position will be relentless. The run into Copenhagen and the repeated laps of the city-centre circuit will see teams fighting for control at every corner, roundabout and road narrowing. Riders who lose position late may find it impossible to move back up before the finish.
Surviving the Chaos
The race is expected to end in a bunch finish, but that does not mean that it will be straightforward. Last year, although won from a bunch, it was a much smaller group than anticipated, with the peloton blowing apart towards the end. Nervous racing, high speeds and potential crosswinds on the exposed approach roads could create splits or leave key contenders out of contention. Staying near the front and avoiding trouble will be just as important as conserving energy.
Delivering the Perfect Sprint
If the peloton arrives together, the race will come down to execution in the final kilometres. The strongest lead-out trains will aim to control the finale, but timing is critical on a fast, technical circuit where positioning can change in an instant. The winner is likely to be the sprinter who combines all these elements and still has one or two riders to help in a lead-out.
How to watch
USA
FloBikes from 8 am EDT / 7 am CDT / 6 am MDT / 5 am PDT
Canada
FloBikes
Europe
Eurosport / Discovery+ / HBO Max (territory dependent) from 14:00 CET
UK
HBO Max / TNT Sports from 13:00 BST
What our athletes think
Kathrin Schweinberger
I’m looking forward to racing back on the WorldTour in Denmark. I’m feeling good and hope I can take the feeling and shape that I built in the Belgian one-day races with me into the weekend. We have a strong team for the flat with a few options. Last year, we saw it was a tough race with a lot of danger, but we have been racing and communicating well, and this will be very important for the result on Saturday to keep this focus.
Maggie Coles-Lyster
I’m very excited. As a team, and I personally, we’re on a bit of a roll right now. The energy is really good on the team, and everyone wants to just keep that roll going, so showing up to a race knowing we can fight for the win is a really good feeling. It’s a strong sprint field, as expected for Copenhagen Sprint, but it’s also a really technical circuit, so riding smart is going to be just as important as having the best legs at the end.
Photos: GettySport, HPHCycling
