Why join a seemingly doomed breakaway on a flat stage favorable to a bunch sprint? Because you never know.
Kasper Asgreen, Victor Campenaerts, Jonas Abrahamsen and, a little later, Pascal Eenkhoorn appropriated this wise word, Thursday afternoon, during the 18th stage of the Tour de France.
Even if their lead between Moûtiers and Bourg-en-Bresse never exceeded a minute, the quartet surprised the peloton chasing them for around thirty kilometers, setting the stage for a magnificent victory for Asgreen, his first on the Tour.
Despite a slender lead of eight seconds at the red flame, the Dane from Soudal Quick-Step resisted the return of the visibly exhausted teams of sprinters to overtake in order the Dutchman Eenkhorn (Lotto Dstny) and the Norwegian Abrahamsen (Uno-X).
Still put into orbit by Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the Belgian with four successes, would have needed 20 meters more to register a fifth. He finished fourth, in the same time as the winner.
“The situation obviously wasn’t ideal,” Asgreen said. I would have preferred to be with six, seven or eight guys, but it’s also the last week of the Tour and the last stages have been very, very difficult. We’ve seen it in the past: even a small group can manage to play a trick on the sprinter teams. »
Former hour record holder Campanearts (Lotto Dstny) had a crucial role in the success of the operation, throwing all his cards between the kilometer and the 400m in the vain hope that his teammate Eenkhorn, whom he had helped to return to the breakaway at 65km, could raise his arms. Without this beautiful harmony between the four leading men, the peloton would have come back.
“I really couldn’t have done it without Pascal, Victor and Jonas,” Asgreen admitted. They have all been fantastic. Honestly, we all deserved to win with the work we put in, but I’m very happy to get away with it [with honors]. »
The 28-year-old Dane hadn’t won a road race since the 2021 Tour of Flanders, where he upset Van der Poel in the sprint. Victim of a serious fall at the Tour de Suisse last year, he had to abandon the Tour de France after the eighth stage.
” I am coming back from far. I would like to dedicate this win to everyone who has helped me get through the past year. »
Asgreen allows Soudal Quick-Step, one of the most powerful formations, to avoid a shutout on the Tour. Since the 12th stage, the Wolf Pack has been without its star sprinter Fabio Jakobsen, who fell hard in the final on the Nogaro circuit in the first week. The Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, of all the attacks for a while, played his role as a troublemaker at the head of the peloton in pursuit.
“Can you imagine this guy just won a stage in the Tour de France? The sentence is from Gabrielle Pilote Fortin and is next to a photo of Kasper Asgreen, who seems immobilized on a stretcher. The native of Neuville has shared the life of the Danish runner for four years. Herself a professional cyclist, she will compete in her first Tour de France from Sunday with the French team Cofidis, whose colors she has been wearing since last year. This selection is a great success for the 30-year-old athlete, who underwent delicate iliac artery surgery in September.
After a boycott of the last World Championships in Australia, in protest of the costs incurred by the participants according to the policy of Cycling Canada, Hugo Houle will return next month to Glasgow.
The 32-year-old cyclist will line up in the road race with five teammates on August 6. “Coming out of the Tour de France, I’m often very, very fit,” he explained earlier this week. “So I want to take advantage of that and hopefully be competitive. I’m going there to get results. »
Houle is attracted by the highly technical circuit laid out in the Scottish capital. “It’s quite an urban course. There must be about fifty turns. It’s very technical. It will be demanding, but these are not passes. Tactically and technically, it suits me well. »
The one who will be at his eighth Worlds, however, declined the invitation to line up for the time trial on August 11, judging his chances of being sufficiently competitive there, in particular because of his equipment.
Held a month earlier than usual, the Glasgow Worlds will be unique in that they will bring together for the first time almost all the disciplines overseen by the International Cycling Union, for a total of 13.
Well supported by Simon Clarke, Hugo Houle and Guillaume Boivin, Corbin Strong finished 13th in the stage. Without the surprise success of the breakaways, the New Zealander from Israel-Premier Tech would therefore probably have signed his second top 10 in his first Tour de France. The 23-year-old cyclist finished ninth in the eighth stage won by Mads Pedersen (Lidl) in Limoges.
“I’m a little disappointed with myself and my positioning as we approach the final, testified Corbin, who was aiming for a top 5, in a video released by his team. I have the speed to be much closer to the front [of the peloton]. We will stay focused and try again [Friday]. »
Boivin, 24th on the stage, also revealed his unsuspected talents in basketball. A few days ago, the ex-midget AAA hockey player threw a can in the basketball net that a supporter presented to him on the side of the road. The Israeli-Canadian team’s social media managers produced a fun vignette of the comical moment.
Jonas Vingegaard, who had an uneventful stage, is not the only person in yellow at the Tour de France. Claire Pedrono also wears a yellow full suit, the color of sponsor LCL.
Since 2010, it has been the slate quarry of the Grande Boucle. The first woman to occupy this position, she informs the riders of the gap between the peloton and the breakaway, information which she writes on a small blackboard.
Business manager in corporate banking, the former semi-professional cyclist takes three weeks of vacation each year to accomplish her task on the back of a motorcycle. On her 10th Tour, she assures that her role still has relevance despite the use of earpieces.
“I think it’s a comfort for the runners”, notes the participant in the International Women’s Grande Boucle, precursor of the Tour de France Women, in 2005. “The sports director does not only have that to say. It completes, it validates, it’s a plus, what. »
Champion of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec last year, Benoît Cosnefroy intends to defend his title on September 8. “Normally, yes, it’s in the plans to come back, of course,” said the Frenchman of AG2R Citroën during La Presse at the start of the Tour in the Spanish Basque Country.
The 27-year-old puncher had impressed by sowing the peloton on the Côte du Glacis, in front of Le Diamant, before winning solo on the Grande Allée, four seconds before Michael Matthews, double title holder.
“Winning in the WorldTour, in these circumstances, with the peloton which was almost at the massif still two kilometers from the finish, it is the greatest victory of my career. The emotions I had that day, I did not relive them. »
Cosnefroy, however, shared a very strong moment when he presented himself at the foot of Joux Plane in the middle of his fan club during the 14th stage last Friday. He got off his bike to take in the friendliest walkabout.
Fourth in Quebec and second in Montreal behind Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert will probably not be back this year. The Jumbo-Visma off-roader left the Tour on Thursday to witness the birth of his second child, expected shortly.
Jonas Vingegaard’s lieutenant will line up in two weeks at the Glasgow Worlds, both in the time trial, where he is a double silver medalist (2020 and 2021), and in the road race, an event for which he will be one of the three options of the powerful Belgian selection with Jasper Philipsen and defending champion Remco Evenepoel.
Van Aert is then thinking of trying his luck at the second Gravel World Championships on October 9 in Italy, his agent reminded your favorite daily. In which case he would probably forfeit the Canadian GPs.
Evenepoel, who intended to participate in the GP for the second time at the start of the season, changed his mind after his retirement due to COVID-19 at the Giro. The world champion has confirmed his presence at the Vuelta, where he will aim for a second consecutive conquest of the red jersey from August 26.
