Job done on stage two in Denmark as Ridolfo holds onto white and Kopecky in top ten

Team Novo Nordisk went into the second stage of the Tour of Denmark with two goals: to keep Filippo Ridolfo in the best young riders jersey and support Czech fast man Matyas Kopecky in the final sprint.

Sports Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“Absolutely fantastic work by the whole team today, we went in with two objectives and we came out with two achievements. Filippo did exactly as he needed to and finished in the front of the bunch to hold onto the white young riders jersey and Matyas flew in the final to tick off a top ten.”

“Tomorrow’s stage is the hardest and longest in the race so it’s going to be extremely difficult for us to retain the jersey, but that’s the plan and we’ll do all we can to achieve it.”

Filippo Ridolfo:

“It was a pretty nervy stage and took a while for the break to go, longer than yesterday and I think I probably felt more tense because I was focused on staying in a good  position right from the start and keeping hold of the jersey.”

“The boys really helped out all day and the hard part came on the final laps with the short climb and high speeds, but we made it and to have Matyas get a top ten in the sprint was the cherry on top.”

Matyas Kopecky:

“As Filippo said the laps were tough and we flew into them once the break was caught, I kind of felt like there were little whirlwinds all over the place and tried to stay focused on right wheel in front of me.”

“The sprint was all across the road and wide open, we got a good look at it two times and when it unfolded I was well placed and I felt like my top end was really good. Top ten and keeping Filippo in white was the goal and that’s what we did. For today at least, job done.”

Photos: Mario Stiehl