Jonas Vingegaard solidified his overall lead in the Tour de France, while Kasper Asgreen from Soudal Quick-Step claimed victory in stage 18 at Bourg-en-Bresse. Asgreen was part of a four-rider breakaway group that managed to stay ahead of the speeding peloton, transitioning from the Alps to the Rhone valley.
The breakaway consisted of Asgreen, Jonas Abrahamsen from Uno-X, and the Lotto Dstny duo of Victor Campenaerts and Pascal Eenkhoorn. With 50km remaining, the four riders joined forces and held a narrow lead until the final moments of the stage.
Racing at speeds over 60km/h, the quartet entered the last kilometer with only a six-second advantage over the pursuing riders. However, Campenaerts's exceptional time-trialling ability helped maintain their lead. Asgreen's last-minute surge allowed him to narrowly outpace sprinter Jasper Philipsen, who had already secured four stage victories, and his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.
Asgreen graciously celebrated his victory and commended his breakaway companions. "I really couldn't have done it without Pascal, Victor, and Jonas," he expressed. "We all deserved to win with the work we put out there."
As a former Tour of Flanders winner, Asgreen's triumph marked a return to form after facing challenges for over a year. "It means so much," he shared. "With the difficulties I experienced last year, including my crash in the Tour of Switzerland, and having to leave the Tour de France last year... I've come a long way."
Meanwhile, Jonas Vingegaard, who performed exceptionally well in the Alps, had a relatively uneventful day. However, his Jumbo-Visma team suffered a setback when one of his key teammates, Wout van Aert, departed from the race. Van Aert made the decision to be with his wife, who is expected to give birth in the coming days.
"It's not a dilemma," the Belgian rider clarified. "It's an easy decision. I always thought that I would go home when my wife indicated she needed me. That time has come."
As Wout van Aert withdrew from the race, the focus remained on his team leader, Jonas Vingegaard, as he faced increased scrutiny from the International Testing Agency (ITA). Olivier Banuls, head of the cycling unit at ITA, stated that Vingegaard's impressive performance had made him a target for testing. "Performance is one of the criteria, and obviously Vingegaard's performance is one of them for us, so he is obviously targeted in particular," Banuls explained. "There are also other criteria for riders, such as biological passports or information we get from our Intelligence and Investigation Unit."
Vingegaard, leading Tadej Pogacar by a significant margin of seven minutes and 35 seconds, has undergone testing 18 times during the Tour and was also tested eight times in June, both in and out of competition.
In contrast to Pogacar, who participated in races throughout the spring until sustaining a wrist fracture in April, Vingegaard's preparation for the title defense primarily relied on training camps at altitude. "We have different places," he explained, referring to the camps. "In February, we go to Tenerife, to Tiede. In May, we go to Sierra Nevada, and in June, we went to Tignes."
Meanwhile, Pogacar's partner, Urska Zigart, disclosed that the Slovenian rider had contemplated quitting the Tour after learning about her crash during the Giro Donne in Italy, which occurred on the fifth stage. She recalled their conversation, saying, "He called me to ask how I was, and then when I told him I hadn't finished the race and had crashed, he said he was coming home." However, she convinced him to stay and continue competing in the Tour.
Reflecting on the dramatic collapse in Wednesday's stage to Courchevel, Pogacar mentioned that he has started to recover from the experience. "The start [on Thursday] was pretty hard and quite – not emotional – but just a lot of guys came and spoke to me," he said. "Thanks to all the riders. They cheered me up."
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