My Tour of Denmark by Christina Hansen

The Tour of Denmark has for many years been a very important race for the Danish cyclists, but this year some of the big stars like Mark Renshaw and Tyler Farrar, to name a few, felt the attraction of this wonderful race. The reason for this was partly due to the finish of Stage 6 is set to finish on the course of the 2011 World Championships. But it was not just the stars who joined the Danish teams, so did a bunch of Bike Pure riders – Alexander Wetterhall, Travis Meyer, Steven Cozza, Jack Bobridge, Michael Mørkøv and Richie Porte.

I am a big cycling fan. I guess that’s why I keep in touch with pro riders on Twitter and Facebook. That is how I first got in touch with some really cool guys. This continued and suddenly I had arranged to meet some of the riders prior to the start of the stage.

First I was at the start in my hometown, where I got to talk to a few people, but everyone was busy and a little behind schedule, but when I got to the finish, people were more relaxed and happy to talk, even though many of them were still busy with the media, fans and sponsors. But although everyone was a little busy, I found some people to talk to about Bike Pure.

It became evident to me that Bike Pure needs more attention. Making our role models wear Bike Pure bracelets might not be enough but it shows a good anti-doping stance. When I spoke to Bjarne Riis, owner of Team Saxo Bank, he did not know what Bike Pure was, even though he had two Bike Pure riders with him in the Tour of Denmark. But when I told him what Bike Pure is, and what his riders have signed up for, he was very proud, and as he said; “All my riders are role models, and I expect all of them to be clean”.

But I am pretty sure that the only ones who can make the team owners and staff aware that Bike Pure is part of their team, is the role models themselves. Let’s say that another one of Bjarnes riders’ signs up as a role model, he needs to say something like; “Hey Bjarne, I just wanted to let you know, that I signed up as a Bike Pure rider, and therefore I’m a role model for other young riders”, and then Bjarne pats him on the shoulder and say “that sounds great”. Of course this is just a wish, but I do not know of any other way to let team staff aware of Bike Pure.

I also spoke to Jesper Mørkøv, younger brother of Bike Pure rider Michael Mørkøv, and I asked him about how his brother’s involvement with Bike Pure as role model. There was no doubt; Michael is doing his job as a role model to the best. Jesper has always looked up to him, and it is very important for Michael to be a role model for his younger brother. I will go as far as to tell you that Jesper is considering stepping in his brother’s footsteps as a Bike Pure rider, when he turns pro.

This shows us that the role models are trying to spread the news, encouraging fellow riders that doping shouldn’t be an option. When I talked to Jesper, he was very clear about how much influence Michael has had on his thoughts about staying clean, when he turns pro. Something that made me really happy was when he told me about how important it is to Michael to send the message that he is clean and how he wants to be a role model, not just for his younger brothers, but to his fans as well.

A Ride with Garmin-Transitions
I not only met with several riders in Denmark, I also made plans through Bike Pure and Garmin-Transitions that I could ride with them in their team car. Before the start I was invited into the team bus so I could be introduced to all the riders, and they all wanted to shake my hand and say hello. Here I got to talk a little with current Australian road race champion Travis Meyer. Travis was wearing his Bike Pure wristband – and you could easily feel how proud he was to talk about it.

Spending the day with Garmin-Transitions also showed me the respect there is for the Bike Pure riders. The time where I really noticed it, was when I was talking to Travis about Bike Pure, and from my eye I could see some guys listening and radiating interest for the subject.  This just confirmed the feeling I already had before the race – that Garmin-Transitions is a team, who wants a clean sport for their riders, and they want them to be role models – just like Bjarne Riis felt about his riders.

Thank you to everyone who made my day at the Tour of Denmark special, especially to Garmin-Transitions and all the riders who helped me out.

Christina Hansen is on Twitter