Olympic gold medalist Hansen has Tour potential

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Recent Olympic omnium champion Lasse Norman Hansen could be the next Bradley Wiggins says Danish U23 coach Morten Bennekou. Wiggins built his career on the track and recently became Great Britain’s most successful Olympian when he won the time trial at the London Olympics.

"I certainly would not deny that he [Hansen] will one day be like Bradley Wiggins, who was also fantastic on the track and now has won the Tour de France. He went from being a fast rider to be a climber, and Lasse could also follow this path," said Bennekou to Sportken.dk.

Hansen is only 20-years-old and while his country’s coaches and staff see him destined for a prosperous career on the road, he’s not ready to step up to the professionals yet.

"It is the track that created the rider that I am now. Of course I would like to hear what they have to offer out there, but basically I'm going to say no to everything. I'm not ready either mentally or physically to enter the professional scene yet," said Hansen.

Hansen’s surprise win in the omnium was secured during a standout performance during the 15km scratch race when he finished in the front group which took a lap on the main field. This was made all the more special as he was involved in high-speed fall half way through the race.

"He is gifted with a great motor and a tremendous spirit, and he has high resistance to lactic acid. It's also why everyone many teams are interested in him," says director of the Danish Cycling Union, Jesper Worre."

Hansen has been linked with Bjarne Riis’ Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank team according to Sportken.dk but for the moment he is content with following the advice of his coach and riding with his current Blue Water Cycling team.