Tour de France 2023 Stage 18: Kasper Asgreen wins first Tour de France stage, outpacing breakaway group
Posted : 21 July 2023
Kasper Asgreen celebrated his first Tour de France stage victory in an impressive fashion during stage 18 as he held on to win from a breakaway group.
The 28-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider formed part of a four-man breakaway that appeared destined to be caught by the sprinters' teams as the stage neared its end in Bourg-en-Bresse. However, the leaders defied the odds and managed to stay clear, with Asgreen outpacing Pascal Eenkhoorn and Jonas Abrahamsen to claim the win.
Despite the excitement of the breakaway victory, Jonas Vingegaard maintained his comfortable overall lead with just three stages remaining. Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar remained more than seven minutes behind, while Britain's Adam Yates held on to third place.
Jasper Philipsen, aiming for his fifth stage win in this year's Tour, came close but narrowly missed out as the peloton left it too late to catch the breakaway group.
Initially, only three riders broke clear at the start, with Asgreen, Campenaerts, and Abrahamsen later joined by Eenkhoorn. Although the peloton attempted to close the gap, their efforts were disorganized, allowing the breakaway to maintain its advantage.
Friday's 19th stage offers a chance for the sprint teams to redeem themselves, with a relatively flat route across the Jura Mountains, covering 172.8km from Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny.
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