FREDERIK RODENBERG
The Olympic medallist on transitioning to the road after success on the track
Another Danish prodigy?
Yes. Frederik Rodenberg has a promising future on the road, having excelled on the track. Now with the Norwegian Uno-X Development Team, the Dane is a promising sprinter, having won a handful of races last year, including the Danish U23 title.
You said he was good on the track.
I did. Frederik was part of the Danish team that won the team pursuit at the Euros last year, and won a bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio. He maintains that pursuiting and sprinting are different, but he said that he gains an advantage from the track: “The speed you get from the track is very good in fast finals, and the track training we do means we can move easily onto the road.”
What is his background?
Frederik is from Værløse, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, and got into cycling after watching the Tour on television one year: “I phoned up the local cycling club and joined the training there.”
A Dane at a Norwegian team?
It’s an easy barrier to overcome, Frederik told Procycling, as the languages are reasonably similar. He said: “Uno-X has a homely feeling, I really like it so far. They’ve been helpful, and they really focus on our development as young riders and also support me through track racing.”
He’s the U23 national champion...
Yes, but he wants to win more senior titles. He said: “It’s a nice title to have, but without sounding stupid, I don’t know how much I can use the U23 title. I would have loved to ride in some races in the jersey, but it’s the elite titles that matter.” Last year Frederik won Eschborn-Frankfurt U23 with the ColoQuick Conti team.
What does he want to win?
This depends on which events Uno-X is allowed to race this year once cycling resumes. From 2021 onwards, for Frederik the sky is the limit. He told us: “If you think about sprinting, the dream would be Tour stages and Milan-San Remo, but I think I could develop from being a sprinter, because I am not so heavy when I slim down, and I’m quite tall. I think I could be good at cobbled races. That takes a lot more years, though, because you need a big engine.”