Christian Wenande
April 16th, 2018

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2018 has been formidable for the valiant Valgren (photo: Astana)

Danish cyclist Michael Valgren secured the biggest triumph of his career on Sunday by winning the 2018 Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands.

The 26-year-old Astana rider, who finished second in the same race in 2016, outsprinted two riders at the finish to triumph following good support work by his teammate and countryman Jakob Fuglsang.

“We were strong today. De Vreese worked hard, Fraile helped me and at the end Fuglsang set up the finale for me. Fuglsang was strong and tired the others out so I could attack. The second try was the right one. It was immense,” Valgren said according to DR Nyheder.

Valgren not only became the second Dane to win the coveted race – along with Bjarne Riis in 1997 – but he is the first rider since Eddie Merckx in 1973 to win the Amstel Gold Race and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in the same season.

Fuglsang ended up finishing in eighth place in the race.

Lions lose another derby
In one of the most intense New Firm derbies in recent years, Brøndby maintained its dominance over FC Copenhagen with a last-minute winner against the Lions at Brøndby Stadium. Peter Ankersen had given FCK the lead in the first half, but a missed penalty by Robert Skov in the second half proved costly as two second-half strikes, including an injury time freekick by Hany Mukhtar, handed BIF the spoils. BIF are still joint top of Superliga with FC Midtjylland, with FCK are languishing in fourth.

Mags scrapes another point home
For the second week running, Danish racer Kevin Magnussen managed to secure points for his Formula 1 team Haas thanks to a tenth-place finish at the China Grand Prix. The Dane was actually in prime position to finish seventh, but an ill-timed safety car near the end of the race set back the Dane and allowed three drivers to overtake him during the final few laps. Magnussen sits tenth in the overall driver standings with 11 points, while his French teammate Romain Grosjean has yet to secure a point.

Frans ready to lace up
Denmark might well be without nearly all their NHL players for the upcoming IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, but the home fans will at least be pleased to hear that Danish legend Frans Nielsen will participate. The veteran has been given the green light by the Detroit Red Wings to take part in the tournament, which Denmark will host in May. Nielsen, 33, who has played over 750 NHL games during his career, will take part in his ninth IIHF World Championship.

Denmark retains FIFA ranking
With the World Cup in Russia just around the corner, Denmark has retained its 12th position on the latest FIFA World Rankings. Despite the impressive Danish ranking, two of Denmark’s opposition in Russia are ranked higher – Peru is eleventh and France is seventh – while Australia is ranked 40th. World Cup holders Germany top the ranking ahead of Brazil, while Belgium are third. Other Nordic countries are Sweden (22), Iceland (23) and Norway (49).