This is how hard #ParisRoubaix was 😮 Respect, guys ✊ Photo: @BeelWout
It was yet another underwhelming race in the Spring Classics for Soudal Quick-Step at Paris-Roubaix, as the Belgian team failed to contest the victory with their best finisher being Yves Lampaert in 36th place.
Four of their seven riders did not finish the race, including one of their leaders Tim Merlier, who suffered a crash early on in the race and was dropped from the peloton once they hit the opening cobbled sectors.
Kasper Asgreen had been in the early breakaway, but they were chased down by Alpecin-Deceuninck and caught by the peloton after 120km of racing. He was then dropped from the front group on the Trouée d’Arenberg and eventually finished in 88th place.
Speaking to his team after the race the Dane said “I knew my best chance was to get in the break and I was hoping this would help me be up there in the finale. Unfortunately, some teams pulled hard and didn’t give us too many chances, bringing the move back long before the Arenberg. The race was too hard for what I had in the legs, but I gave everything”.
This is how hard #ParisRoubaix was 😮 Respect, guys ✊ Photo: @BeelWout