The Dane Kasper Asgreen has won the 18th stage of the 110th Tour de France.
After 184.9 kilometres between Moûtiers and Bourg-en-Bresse, the 28-year-old won the sprint of a breakaway group ahead of Dutchman Pascal Eenkhoorn and Norwegian Jonas Abrahamsen. The escapees, who had broken away shortly after the start, never gained more than a minute and a half advantage and rode the last 15 kilometres with just under 30 seconds ahead of the peloton.
The sprinters around superstar Jasper Philipsen followed directly behind the group, but were unable to close the gap. Meanwhile, the exhausted Simon Geschke abandoned 73 kilometres before the finish. One day earlier, compatriot Phil Bauhaus had left the Tour.
Vingegaard still favourite
As expected, nothing changed at the top of the overall standings. The Danish defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is still 7:35 minutes ahead of his rival Tadej Pogacar after his strong performances in the Alps. With three stages remaining before Paris, Vingegaard can probably only be denied victory in the Tour if he crashes.
On Friday, the breakaway riders hope for their last chance in the 19th stage. The professional cyclists will tackle the hilly 172.8 kilometres between Moirans-en-Montagne and Poligny in the Jura mountains. A challenging mountain stage in the Vosges mountains awaits on Saturday, with the Tour of France ending a day later in Paris.
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