Asgreen sees future in stage racing after success at Tour of California
19 May 2019 02:27
Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-QuickStep) may not have won the overall title at the Tour of California, but he was pleased at have walked away with a stage victory, the green points jersey and third overall. The versatile rider from Denmark stood on the final podium behind winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Sergio Higuita (EF Education First) in Pasadena on Saturday after what he called an unexpected week of racing in the US. "It's amazing to have the green jersey," Asgreen said in the post-race press conference at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Saturday. "This week has been way more than I expected, and so I'm really happy with what I was able to do here." The race – which has traditionally attracted the peloton's fastest sprinters – was one of the toughest editions in its 14-year history. The route covered almost 21,000 metres of elevation gain, with 25 categorised ascents, along with a summit finish on Mt. Baldy. In addition, there were four stages over 200km.ADVERTISEMENT Early in the race, on stage 2, Asgreen formed part of a select group that finished in a sprint in South Lake Tahoe. He won the stage ahead of Tejay van Garderen (EF Education First) and Gianni Moscon (Team Ineos). It was one of the hardest stages, with 4,500 metres of climbing. The stage topped out at 2,627 metres of elevation at Carson Pass – the highest point the Tour of California has ever climbed. It was also Asgreen's first-ever victory on the WorldTour, having only signed with Deceuninck-QuickStep as a trainee last August. "It's my first pro win, so I'm really, really happy right now," he told reporters in South Lake Tahoe. "It's huge for me, and to take it on a stage like this – a really hard stage – I'm really happy with that."
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