07/10/2022

Kasper Asgreen back on the bike after season-shattering injuries suffered before Tour de France - "I am looking forward to being the leader again"

2022 has been a very mixed season for Kasper Asgreen, with the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team rider, which ended prematurely following injuries sustained at the Tour de Suisse. He only recently got back on the bike, and is eyeing 2023.

“The situation is just the way it is. I had to end my season early, there was no other way out. Going on against your better judgement will only make it worse," the Dane told Ekstra Bladet. Asgreen suffered a crash at the Tour de Suisse which left him in bad condition, which had consequences as he was unable to finish the Swiss race, the national championships and the Tour de France afterwards suffering from his knee and overall fatigue.

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“I have now started cycling again, but there is no structure behind it yet," Asgreen continued. "I don't need to be fit yet, so there's no reason not to rest for an extra three or four weeks. I could probably start building now, but I don't have to."

After winning the E3 Saxo Bank classic and Tour des Flandres in 2021, he had important titles to defend in 2022. His spring campaign started off well with a third place at Strade Bianche, however he failed to find his best form in the cobbles as the Belgian team struggled to be widely part of the fights for the win. A sixth place at Amstel Gold Race was a minor consolation prize, but his eyes were later in the summer.

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A crash at the Tour de Suisse derailed his second half of the season however. With a Grand Depart in his home country the team pushed forward his selection, but his form was nowhere near his best, and he abandoned the race on the ninth day. He did not return to competition later in the season.

“I have learned a lot from last season. You also learn the most when things don't go well. I will normally again be one of the spearheads for 2023 in the spring. I am looking forward to being the leader again in the classic period. That was very exciting this year, I was more or less the only leader," he concluded.