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Kasper Asgreen gives Soudal-Quick Step its first 2023 Tour victory

Wee breakaway with a maximum 1:38 lead holds off the peloton

July 20, 2023
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The peloton left it too late to catch a small breakaway that never had more than a 1:38 gap, and fugitive Kasper Asgreen won Thursday’s 18th stage of the Tour de France. It was the first win for Soudal-QuickStep and the third for a Dane. Guillaume Boivin was the top Canadian at 24th.

The Course

It was a day tailor-made for the sprinters, with only two Cat. 4 climbs completed by the middle of the route.

For a race with four stages to go, the Tour de France felt strangely over. Maybe it was the 7:35 gap between Vingegaard and Pogačar, perhaps it was Wout Van Aert going home. But Thursday felt anti climatic. Nevertheless, the race went on.

Only three riders bothered to form a breakaway, the trio arriving at the first Cat. 4 climb with a minute’s lead. After the second Cat. 4, the trio received a single reinforcement. Jasper Philipsen gobbled up the fifth most points at the day’s intermediate sprint. The Belgian has been in green for 14 stages.

As the finish town of Bourg-en-Bresse drew closer and 10 km remained, the foursome still had 22 seconds. Alpecin-Deceuninck disappeared from the front of the peloton. The finale was poised on a knife edge. It looked like a hesitation doomed the fugitives, but in the final 200 metres it was Asgreen battling breakmates Pascal Eenkhoorn and Jonas Abrahamsen for the glory.

Friday’s parcours is a little more lumpy and there’s a Cat. 3 28 km from the finish in Poligny.

2023 Tour de France Stage 18
1) Kasper Asgreen (Denmark/Denmark) 32:36
2) Pascal Eenkhoorn (The Netherlans/Lotto-Dstny) s.t.
3) Jonas Abrahamsen (Norway/Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) s.t.
24) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.
35) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) s.t.
113) Michael Woods (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +0:50

2023 Tour de France GC
1) Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) 72:04:39
2) Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia/UAE-Emirates) +7:35
3) Adam Yates (Great Britain/UAE-Emirates) +10:45
4) Carlos Rodriguez (Spain/Ineos) +12:01
5) Simon Yates (Great Britain/Jayco-AlUla) +12:19