Severe weather and rider protest causes cancellation of Tour of Denmark stage (video)

Stage two of the Tour of Denmark was cancelled on Wednesday due to severe wind and rain posing a danger to the riders.

Initially the original 183km stage from Svendborg to Odense went ahead in a shortened version with a long neutralised section.

However, it soon became clear that the UCI's Extreme Weather Protocol should be invoked and the stage was scrapped with 70km remaining. Some riders had taken shelter under trees during the stage.

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"After a shortening and a neutralisation during the stage, the riders did not want to continue and requested that the stage be cancelled," the Tour of Denmark organiser said in a statement.

"A wish that race organisation accepted according to the UCI Extreme Weather Protocol."

The move came as a relief to teams and riders who applauded the organiser for cancelling the stage, although some had protested that the stage should never had been started in the first instance.

Stage one winner Casper Pedersen (Giant-Castelli) retains the overall race lead after the cancelled stage. The five-stage, UCI 2.HC-ranked race concludes on Saturday, September 16.