The opening stage at the Tour of Scandinavia saw the peloton take on a mostly flat parcours, albeit with several rolling hills throughout the day to tempt attackers. Small attacks came and went throughout the day, with the team also active in trying to force things; with Esmée Peperkamp and Léa Curinier both applying the pressure at around 50 kilometres to go.

A short hill on the finish circuit would act as launchpad for more attackers, with Floortje Mackaij attempting to go clear on the first ascent but the bunch didn’t split, despite stretching out. Things then calmed down again before another flurry of attacks on the final lap, with Mackaij once again forcing the pace at the same point. She managed to get a small gap alongside Vollering, with Liane Lippert following close behind marking the chase out, but things ultimately all came back together.

With it clear the day was going to end in a full bunch sprint, the team fully focused on bringing Megan Jastrab into position, with the experienced Leah Kirchmann leading the Team DSM train into the final five kilometres. The run in to the line was hectic as teams fought for position but Jastrab held her own after being dropped off in a great position by the team, expertly navigating the wheels and ensuring she was at the front without having her nose in the wind. Under the flamme rouge the pace was high but the nature of the finish meant the bunch was spread across the road; making the fight for position even harder. Jastrab navigated out of a tight gap and produced a great turn of speed to take a strong second place – moving into the white jersey as best young rider.

“I can’t believe what happened today,” smiled Jastrab after the stage. “I was given the opportunity to go for it if it came down to a sprint today. The team was looking for opportunities to get in breakaways, but in the end it was a sprint. All of the girls and team fully backed me, and gave me the confidence that I was lacking to go for it. The finish was extremely fast, but the girls kept me safe and well positioned on the circuits to set me up in the best position. I’m looking forward to the coming stages with the team!” 

Team DSM coach Huub Duijn added: “It was a long day in Denmark; not just because the late start, but also a 146 kilometre stage with a long neutral. We focused on doing an aggressive race and look for opportunities in breaks. The girls were always sharp and represented in the attacks. In the end nothing really stuck so we switched our focus to bring Megan in a good position towards the sprint. It wasn’t our normal lead out train but they did it in a really good way. Megan never had to use a lot of energy before the final sprint which resulted in a nice podium place, coming in second, just behind stage winner Vos.”