CHRIS JUUL JENSEN knows his role in the Tinkoff Saxo team over the next three weeks. He is to prove himself the ultimate team player, break chaser, water carrier and wind breaker at Giro d’Italia. If he can do that, he will have a grateful teammate in Nicolas Roche.
The Grand Tour cycling competition begins this afternoon in Belfast with a 22km team time trial. To that end, Jensen has a plan. “Tomorrow evening,” he told TheScore.ie, “We’re going balls to the wall.”
The 24-year-old Irishman is back living in Denmark, where his parents, Knud and Eva, hail from. He spent the first 16 years of his life in Ireland and left these shores in late 2005. Trips between Denmark and Ireland were frequent after his emigration but, he admits, he has not been back in almost five years.
“This is my first Giro and my first Grand Tour event,” he said. “As luck would have it, the race is starting in Ireland this year so I will get to catch up with old friends and race on roads I used to train on.”
Jensen and his family were based in Kilmacanogue during his 16 years in the country. The Sugar Loaf and the Wicklow Gap were on his doorstep and provided a stunning locale for his first steps into competitive cycling. He raced with Sorento Cycling Club and proved himself as both a dogged climber and teenager than could hold his own with the men.
The weather in Northern Ireland has been less than spectacular but Jensen is used to the inclement conditions. He also had a chance to acclimatise [to the rain] in training camp. “We were racing in Switzerland last week and it was pissing it down every day.” He travelled in a team car on Thursday to get a feel for the Stage 2 route and describes the Antrim coastline as stunning.
Once news of Jensen’s participation in the Giro was announced, he was inundated with calls and social media messages from Ireland. “The support I have got in the last few weeks has been amazing. I will know lots of people along the route from Armagh to Dublin but there are many people coming up to Belfast for the start. My mother, father and sister [Sarah] will all be there too.”
Jensen first broke into professional cycling with Danish team Team Glud & Marstrand-LRØ and raced with them until Tinkoff-Saxo picked him up in 2012. He performed well in classics in northern France and Belgium, gaining acclaim from his teammates for an indefatigable performances in cobblestone races. Young riders often get their break break in Vuelta Espana or Giro d’Italia. It is a happy coincidence that his moment to shine will begin in Ireland among so many familiar faces.
Jensen says acquiring wins for his teammates Roche and Rafal Majka would surpass the personal glory of crossing the line first in a Giro stage. “My role,” he says, “is to help Nicholas or Rafal in their General Classification goals. I have to do all I can to make sure he is brought to the finish line with as little energy or stress as possible.
I will be sitting out in the wind to protect them from it — passing on messages, water — and making sure they secure and comfortable within the main group. Looking after the main riders often suits my best quality as a rider. I see myself as a bit of a diesel engine.”
He added, “If I can prove myself, my role within the team and my physicality over the three weeks of a Grand Tour then it will definitely help my progress within the team.” Asked if Roche, who is starting off as his team’s joint leader, has a chance of claiming the pink jersey, he responds, “Absolutely.”
“Nicholas proved himself in the Vuelta and always seems to ride well when he returns from altitude camp. He will want a good start but he has proved he is capable of growing in strength as a race progresses.”
You can follow Jensen’s tour @JensenJuul and @giroditalia
