"Tour de Denmark"

The 24th annual “Tour of Denmark” started on Wednesday, 6 August and finishes today.
Much like the famous “Tour de France”, there are many legs to the race.  The Danish version has 6.
The fourth leg started on Saturday in Nyborg and ended in Odense.  I had to be there!

Six Legs

Tour of Denmark 2014: 

Stage 1, August 6: Hobro-Mariager, 155 km
Stage 2, August 7: Disc-Aarhus, 195 km
Stage 3, August 8: Skanderborg Vejle (Kiddesvej), 175 km
Stage 4, August 9: Nyborg Odense, 100 km
Stage 5, August 9: Trial Middelfart, 15 km
Stage 6, August 10: Kalundborg Frederiksberg (Copenhagen), 175 km
Tour of Denmark 2014: Total distance is 815 km.

There were sponsors everywhere.  The Danish Post office was the main sponsor.

And the Police were there.  For crowd control I guess.  But the rain really took care of that!

Have you ever stood in the rain, waiting for something to start?  Driving, pouring rain?  That’s what happened to me on Saturday.

Oh my God the rains came!!!!  There was a point just before the riders went by that I thought my camera was going to short out!

Torrential Rain!!

I rode my bike out to the finish line, about 5 kilometers from the apartment.  It was just spitting rain then.

But by the time I got my spot at the finish line, the bottom let go!  Several sponsors were handing out plastic ponchos luckily!

It rained really hard in bursts, then just as the riders came by, it started letting up.  By the "winners circle" time, it had stopped.

I had never been to a bicycle race before.  We waited and got updates from the announcer (in Danish of course) of where the “pack” was.  Then, off in the distance, here they came!

The riders rode 100 kilometers.  When they got to Odense, they did three laps in the city, each taking them by the crowd, each time faster and faster!  It was like NASCAR without all the engine noise!

Following the pack were support cars with spare bicycles, parts, and tires.

After the race, the winners stood on the podium and received kisses from beautiful Danish women!  I also think they received money.

Andrea Guardini won the race.

Even though I was soaking wet, it was a very thrilling day!

As I was leaving, I rode by a soccer field.  I have no idea what was going on, but guys dressed in evening gowns, in inflatable balls, were playing soccer!  Only in Denmark.

And I checked.  I was the only person in the crowd with a Boston hat.