Wout van Aert makes a triumphant return: wins the first stage of the Tour of Denmark after overcoming a massive crash

The return of Wout van Aert could not have been more convincing. The Belgian from Visma Lease a Bike, who made his comeback after missing the Tour de France due to an infection in his elbow following a previous fall, won the first stage of the Tour of Denmark 2026, held over 197.6 kilometers starting and finishing in Aalborg, thus becoming the first leader of the general classification.

Wout van Aert returns with victory and dons the leader's jersey in the Tour of Denmark 2026

Van Aert had a tough time. With about 70 kilometers to go, a massive crash shook the peloton and fragmented the race into several groups. The Belgian was involved in the incident, but he was able to get up quickly and continue without apparent consequences. Shortly after, the different groups regrouped and the race regained some normalcy.

Visma controlled the race from the start

The day began with a breakaway of five riders formed by Daniel Stampe, Marius Hobolth, Matias Malmberg, Mads Landbo, and Manuel Oioli, all members of invited teams. The peloton never gave them too much of an advantage thanks to the work of Visma Lease a Bike and Flanders-Baloise, who kept the gap always below two minutes.

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The situation changed in the final stretch. After neutralizing the break, the urban circuit of Aalborg, with three ascents to the Molleparken hill (700 meters at 6%), toughened the race and prompted numerous attacks.

A decisive attack on the last lap

In the final lap, Christophe Laporte responded to a move by Tomáš Kopecky, who was joined by Lukas Kubis, Henrik Pedersen, Antoine Côté, and Tim Torn Teutenberg. The sextet managed to open a gap of nearly 20 seconds, forcing the favorites to react.

It was then that Van Aert appeared. The Belgian launched a powerful attack on the last ascent of Molleparken, and only Søren Kragh Andersen was able to initially follow his wheel. Both reduced the gap until they linked up with the leading group just a few kilometers from the finish.

With the work done, Laporte emptied himself completely to set up the sprint for his teammate, acting as the perfect lead-out man in his own return to competition after several months away.

Victory in a very tight sprint

In the finishing straight, Van Aert started the sprint from far out. Lukas Kubis managed to close many meters in the final moments, but the Belgian maintained enough of an advantage to claim victory by a narrow margin and complete a dream return.

 

 

 

 

 

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Top 5 - 1st stage of the Tour of Denmark 2026

1. Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) – 4:10:49
2. Lukáš Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets) – +00
3. Henrik Pedersen (Uno-X Mobility) – +00
4. Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) – +00
5. Pier-André Côté (Israel – Premier Tech Academy) – +00

With this victory, Van Aert becomes the first leader of the Tour of Denmark 2026 and confirms that he arrives in great shape less than a month before the start of the Vuelta a España. The Belgian, winner of this round in 2018, thus takes the first step towards a goal that goes far beyond the Danish race: regaining competitive rhythm before the last major challenge of the season.