Wout Van Aert wins the opening stage of the PostNord Tour of Denmark 2026 in Aalborg

Wout Van Aert (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) claimed victory on the opening stage of the PostNord Tour of Denmark 2026, prevailing at the end of a 197.2-kilometer stage starting and finishing in Aalborg. The Belgian finished in 4h10'49", beating Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Henrik Pedersen (Uno-X Mobility) in the sprint, both arriving with the same time.The inaugural stage unfolded on a route that, after an initial section heading southwest along the coast, brought the peloton back to Aalborg for a decisive final circuit. Over the final 19.5 kilometers, the riders tackled three ascents of Molleparken, a 9.7-kilometer climb with gradients reaching 10%, the last of which came less than 10 kilometers from the finish. Van Aert made the most of the terrain to anticipate his rivals and cross the line first.Completing the top five were Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) and Pier-André Côté (NSN Cycling Team), both with the winner's time.Thanks to the time bonuses, Van Aert is also the first leader of the general classification with a 4-second advantage over Kubiš and 6 seconds over Pedersen. The Danish race continues tomorrow with the second stage.