After a massive effort to reel in the day's breakaway on stage 3 of the Tour de France that helped propel Deceuninck-Quickstep teammate Julian Alaphilippe to the victory and race lead, all Kasper Asgreen had to do was ride to the finish. But he missed a traffic sign in the middle of the road and suffered a nasty crash that snapped his bike in two.
Asgreen, 22, who was runner-up in the Tour of Flanders and is the Danish national time trial champion, plays a critical role in the Belgian team's line-up for the Tour de France. Team manager Patrick Lefevere said he hope that Asgreen can continue: "He's the engine of our team."
His teammate Michael Mørkøv was riding near Asgreen before the crash and warned him about the danger, but said the Dane did not react and rode straight into it, the impact shattering his Specialized frame.
The race doctor examined Asgreen after the crash, and the rider insisted on finishing the stage. Out of caution he was taken after the stage by ambulance to a hospital for further examinations. The Deceuninck-Quickstep team issued an update Monday evening, saying "Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s medical staff will continue to monitor Asgreen overnight and a final decision on his further participation in the race will be taken tomorrow morning."
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