The Scandinavian Job – Part 1: Denmark

Danish cyclists are having a moment. With stars like Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard lighting up the WorldTour, the X Men were buzzing with excitement to experience a slice of Danish racing for the first time this year.

The first impression? Denmark is incredibly flat. But don’t let that fool you—two days of bar-to-bar racing were ahead, and they were anything but easy.

Day One: GP Herning
GP Herning delivered a true classics-style challenge. A race packed with gravel sectors, narrow roads, relentless crosswinds, and a good dose of heavy rain. It was a recipe for chaos—and a proper test of grit.

From the gun, the fight for position was intense. All the X Men held their ground well through the early gravel sectors. But as the race unfolded, riders were being shelled at an alarming rate—punctures, crashes, and echelons wreaked havoc in the bunch.

Henrique was caught out in the wind, Freddie was delayed by a crash, and both Joe and Oliver suffered poorly-timed punctures. Yet despite the setbacks, George and Kristian battled through to the finish. Kristian, incredibly, survived four punctures and still crossed the line. Legends.

Day Two: Fyen Rundt
With the bikes patched up thanks to a late-night effort from DS Frederik and team mechanic Jasper (aka Oliver’s dad), the squad lined up for day two: the Fyen Rundt.

The strategy was clear—George and Joe would seek to get into the early break while Freddie, Kristian, Oliver, and Henrique saved energy for the finale. Things started to go to plan with George up the road and the other X Men positioned well at the front of the bunch.

Then, disaster struck when Joe crashed coming back through the convoy. After that, in a seriously unexpected incident: a deer ran into the road, taking Freddie down hard and sending him to hospital. Thankfully, he’s now home and recovering well.

Back in the race, the big teams drove the pace into the local laps, reeling in George’s breakaway just in time for a bunch sprint. After a brutal day, all remaining X Men (except the unlucky Freddie) made it to the line—a serious display of resilience and fight.

Next Stop: Norway
The Scandinavian Job continues. Next up: Norway’s Sundvolden GP and the Ringerike GP. The mountains await.