Asgreen escaped the clutches of the peloton and achieved a great victory in the Tour after a break of 184 kilometers

After the cruelty of the mountain, decorated change to 18th stage of the Tour de Francewith a theoretical quiet day, flat, of 184.9 kilometers, between the towns of Moîtiers and B.ourg-en-bresse. A day with two climbs in the 4th category that set the stage for a real battle to be lived between the cyclists who had the courage to start on a breakaway and the sprinter teams, because the big favorites and those who will fight for the third place on the podium they will. have a ‘relax’ day before Saturday’s decisive day which will be key to deciding all race positions.

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The planned script began to be written in the first kilometers, when Victor Campenaerts, Jonas Abrahamsen and Kasper Asgreen They decide to try their luck and bet on a getaway. A few kilometers later they were joined by Campenaerts’ partner in Lotto Dstny Pascal Eeenkhoornand of them all the strongest and fastest in the end, the one who best saved his energies, the few who should stay, is the Danish Asgreen, who at 28 years old achieved his second victory of the season after the one that achieved in the Danish Time Trial Championship and the first winner of a three-week cycling tour. And, surprisingly, with his success he brings to eleven consecutive seasons that his team, Soudal-Quick Step, win at least one stage in ‘Big Boucle’, for pattern illusion Patrick Levevere.

The breakaways never had a challenge of more than two minutes and behind them were the teams that still had fast guys in their ranks, such as Alpecin, DSM or Jayco Alula They gave it their all to keep the escape under control, or at least it seemed that way, but in the end their prey escaped with a sigh.

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The four escapees began to understand each other better and from behind became classmates Asgreen number Philipsen either ala philippe they tried to hinder the work of the workers of the teams of sprinters, trying to hinder their work of hunting and catching.

The end of the stage is exciting. At 25 kilometers, the four breakaways had a 40-second lead in a peloton that was always riding very tight. At 14 km from the finish line the difference drops to 24″, at 6 km it is 18″, 9″ to 2.8 and 5″ in the last few meters left. Will they come? It gave the impression that the peloton would lead them, but the four escapees did not give up, the crooked final stage design favored them and the final arreón of Campenaerts It is key for the escape ship to reach a good port.

However, Campenaerts accused the effort and Asgreen, who read the stage well, dropped to third place in the breakaway to win at an average of 44.9 km/h. What he didn’t reach Bradley Wiggins in 2012, although he eventually won the general classification, with a break of 191 kilometers in the same scenario, he achieved it today Asgreen after 184 km. Bravo for him.