Frenchman Christophe Laporte won the Tour of Denmark on Saturday by winning the fifth and final 125.9 kilometer long stage between Give and Vejle, confirming his change in dimension since joining Jumbo in 2022.
Second in the general classification the day before behind Magnus Sheffield (Ineos), Laporte narrowly edged out the American on Saturday, winning the bonus game. Dane Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Trek) took third place in the stage and in the final general classification.
Punching qualities but sometimes nonchalant
The 29-year-old from Var is asserting himself a little more within the world peloton and in the Dutch armada, which he joined at the start of the season. Winner of the first stage of Paris-Nice alongside Primoz Roglic and Wout van Aert, Laporte was then the only Frenchman to raise his arms in the Tour de France, at the end of the 19th stage.
A runner with recognized punching qualities but sometimes nonchalant when he evolved at Cofidis (2014-2021), Laporte had a click when he moved abroad at the start of the year, which he then described as “huge change”.
Van Aert’s luxury teammate in the sprints, Laporte contributed to his team’s dominance in the Great Loop, winning in six stages. In the Tour of Denmark, he also took his sprinter Olav Kooij in the third stage to allow him to win, finishing just behind him. The Varois was already well placed in the general classification at the end of the second stage, which he had concluded in third place.