Cycling: Kasper Asgreen won the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia with an impressive solo performance. The Dane won as a breakaway ahead of the approaching peloton. Several favorites, including Primoz Roglic, lost further time to overall leader Isaac del Toro.
Asgreen celebrates its first win of the season
As almost predicted, Kasper Asgreen (EF Education – EasyPost) won the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia. The Dane – sporting a distinctive helmet – broke away from his companions Mirco Maestri (Polti VisitMalta) and Martin Marcellusi (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè) a few kilometers from the finish. The 195-kilometer stage from Treviso to Nova Gorica would also prove crucial in the battle for the pink jersey. With 23 kilometers to go, several crashes occurred on a cobblestone section, delaying several riders and splitting the peloton.
Del Toro extends his lead
Things went terribly wrong for Giulio Ciccone (Lidl – Trek) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain – Victorious). The Italians crashed and lost several minutes, likely also losing their chance of a good overall finish. Primoz Roglic (RB – Bora – hansgrohe) and Juan Ayuso (UAE – XRG) were also held up. Isaac del Toro (UAE – XRG) was once again the big winner . Tomorrow, the riders will cover 219 kilometers from Fiume Veneto to Asiago. The dreaded Monte Grappa climb awaits them at the halfway point. Since the stage finishes on a high plateau, no significant gaps are expected among the top riders – but that's what we thought today, too.