The best cyclists from the international peloton will start in Roskilde and traverse the roads of Zealand, with challenging winds as a protagonist and a distinctive feature of this new event that aspires to grow in importance in the calendar. The setting and the route will have it all, especially an appealing finish on the streets of the Danish capital.

Morten Anderson, President of the Danish Cycling Federation, says: "It has been a dream for many years to secure a permanent spot at the highest level of the international cycling calendar, so it's a big day for the Danish Cycling Federation and Danish cycling. The awarding of the World Tour license and the right to hold World Tour races shows that Danish cycling culture and our fantastic audience have really been noticed abroad.”

On the other hand, Mayor Sophie Hæstorp Andersen expressed her opinion: "It's a big day for me as Mayor and as a cycling fan. In a great cycling city like Copenhagen, the world's best riders should not just be someone we watch on screen and from the sofa. We should see them from the front row in our streets. It's simply historic that together with our partners we are getting our very own UCI World Tour cycling race, which will bring the absolute cycling elite to Denmark.”

Entering the prestigious realm of the World Tour is not easy, but it allows for a tremendous leap in quality. The effort to meet the standards, and the UCI's consent and license, has been a collaborative effort between the Danish Cycling Federation, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, the City of Copenhagen, Sport Event Denmark, and the Municipality of Roskilde.

Christina Egelund, Acting Minister for Culture, comments: "It’s a big accomplishment that we are hosting an absolutely world-class cycling race in the streets of Denmark. The Danish Government has a big ambition to organize a great amount of major events that generate excitement and unite us across the country.”

Morten Bødskov, Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, adds: "Denmark is a proud cycling nation, and we saw this with last year's huge success with the Start of the Tour de France. As a tourist destination, it's important that Denmark can attract international sporting events, and therefore the government has allocated extra funding to the World Tour Copenhagen.”

Lars Lundov, Director of Sport Event Denmark, highlights: "Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix – and now also World Tour Copenhagen. It's fantastic that Denmark has been awarded a World Tour for both men and women. Denmark has previously hosted the starts of the grand tours, the Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France, a UCI Road World Championship, and numerous other World and European Championships in various cycling disciplines across the country. When the UCI chooses to grant the Danish Cycling Federation this license, it is a strong endorsement of Denmark as a cycling event nation and destination, Danish elite cycling but also everyday cycling. Cycling events unite people. Together with DCU, Copenhagen, and Roskilde, we are once more stepping up.”

Tomas Breddam, Mayor of Roskilde Municipality, notes: "We experienced an enormous enthusiasm and joy for cycling during the Tour de France. With the World Tour, we continue a strong tradition of cycling races starting from Roskilde. It's going to be a celebration for everyone.”

Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, Managing Director of Wonderful Copenhagen, concludes: "World Tour Copenhagen is a huge opportunity to create value for many. Events are important for the capital's tourism, especially when they tap into the city's DNA, like our cycling culture. But they are also valuable platforms for the international branding of our capital – a branding that goes beyond the event itself. In this way, we strengthen both tourism and the general awareness of our capital, and at the same time, we contribute to spreading everyday cycling globally. There's a huge opportunity and task when Denmark's capital now gets its own World Tour race. We're looking forward to it.”