Jonas Vingegaard, a two-time Tour de France winner, returns to Copenhagen on Wednesday to be greeted by thousands of jubilant Danes waiting in the streets to celebrate their second straight win in the sport's biggest race.
The champion will appear on the balcony of the Town Hall to celebrate his triumph with his compatriots.
Mikkel Feldtmann Hansen, 24, has taken the day off from his job as a sergeant in the Danish Royal Guard to come say hello to the Danish Tour de France cyclists.
"It is a great achievement to win the Tour de France, and it is rare to see Danish athletes achieve such great victories and be cheered on by their nation," he told Reuters.
Hansen, who has done a lot of cycling, has been on the junior national team with some of the Danish riders on the Tour.
"For me it's something personal, because I know some of the guys who are up there, so it's pure class, top class," he said. Vingegaard, 26, is the first Dane to become a two-time Tour de France champion after joining Bjarne Riis, champion in 1996, and the only Danish antecedent at the top of the French tournament last year. Donning the yellow jersey after the sixth stage of this year's race, Vingegaard found himself embroiled in a classic and gripping battle in the mountains with double Tour winner Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia.
However, Vingegaard asserted his authority in the race by beating Pogacar by a crushing difference of one minute and 38 seconds in the 16th stage, an individual time trial, to seal the race.
Vingegaard himself declared after the race that it could have been his best day on a bike, and the Danish fans agree.
"How was he able to control his brain like that? It was unbelievable, just unbelievable," said Mina Kastbjerg, 56.
Dressed in yellow, Kastbjerg has been waiting for more than three hours to celebrate Vingegaard's success.
"We have to show that we celebrate and admire what he has done," he said. Vingegaard and his family flew to Denmark on Wednesday after celebrations in the Netherlands, home of his team, Jumbo-Visma.
His hometown of Glyngore in northern Denmark will host Vingegaard on Thursday for further celebrations.
