Weight off the shoulders of Kasper Asgreen as he attacks Tour of Flanders - "This is more in line with what I expect from myself"

Soudal - Quick-Step had been having a very disappointing spring on the cobbles, their home terrain. Kasper Asgreen's performance at the Tour of Flanders wasn't exactly what the team dreamed of, but he returned to good form and was in the battle for the victory.

“This is more in line with what I expect from myself. It’s been a long way back, I’m still missing something when it comes to following the others, but I hope this was the last step I needed to return to my old self," Asgreen said in a press release. The Dane, winner of the 2021 edition, found himself as Quick-Step's main option on the day after both Julian Alaphilippe and Yves Lampaert went down on the early mass crash.

“As we were missing a couple of guys due to those earlier crashes, I decided to go from afar," he said. He himself took the helm on the Molenberg, attacking and breaking the race to bits at the front. A large and very strong group was created there, that would make it hard even for the 'big three' to reach the front. Asgreen was a frequent face in the head of the group over the ascents, and managed to ride close to the best over the final bergs on the day.

"We worked well together in that move, we believed in our chance, and kept pushing all the time. Having Tim (Merlier who had been in the breakaway, ed.) there was very important, as he was of great help." Asgreen rode to seventh place on the line as part of the chasing group that battled for third place. An improvement on what the team had shown, but most importantly perhaps it was a race on the attack and never on the back foot.

"To be top 10 in such a tough and relentless edition of Flanders is a huge morale-boost for us all, one that comes after a very good race not just from myself, but from the whole team," he concluded. Paris-Roubaix will be Asgreen's next goal and one where he can ambition more.