(00:00) Welcome
(03:05) Transition into cycling
(08:06) Joining Quick-Step
(13:59) King of Flanders
(15:09) De Ronde, Roubaix
(19:16) Training for one-day Classics vs TTs
(20:40) How to prepare mentally for a grand tour
(22:33) Communicating during racing
(24:15) Crashes and setbacks
(26:33) Living in Denmark
(29:33) Gravel riding
(33:49) Season goals and future
(35:38) Tinker with bike setup
(37:55) Race Suits and Foul-weather gear
(40:12) What's in the race rain bag
(46:02) Cycling Style (Q&A)
(47:45) Random Questionns Q&A)

Søren Jensen
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Castelli Podcast, the show where we dive into the world of Castelli and professional cycling and explore the stories behind the writers who inspire us. I'm your host, Søren Jensen, Castelli marketing manager, and today we have a fantastic episode lined up for you with a very special guest. Before we dive in, I want to express my gratitude to all of you who have taken the time to send in your product related questions and suggested topics for future episodes. Your engagement means a lot to us and assure you that we'll dive into some of these questions in next week's episode. But let's get started. Today's guest is a powerhouse in the world of cycling, known for his versatility and impressive performance in both one day classics and Time Trails. Please welcome Kasper Asgreen of the Soudal Quick-Step team.

Kasper Asgreen
Thank you very much.

Søren Jensen
Kasper. Thank you for joining us today. We are thrilled to have you on the show and learn more about your incredible journey in the world of cycling. But at the moment, I know that you are in Girona on a smaller training camp before attacking Tour de Swiss. How is Girona and the weather treating you these days?

Kasper Asgreen
Well today is, fortunately, my rest day. We had some rain bit on and off during the day, but the last few days have been really, really nice and it's a really nice area to ride in. I really understand why a lot of my colleagues choose to settle here, but yeah, it's been a nice camp and now I'm halfway, so a few more good training to go before I head back home.

Søren Jensen
Yeah, it's beautiful there. I've also been there a couple of times now after we opened the Castelli flagship store at the riding. No matter if you're on the road, the gravel is just amazing. So that's the first time for you in the Jerome area?

Kasper Asgreen
No, we actually had a training camp here before the 2021 season. We were staying out in a golf resort little bit closer to the coast compared to where I am now, but a lot of the same roads and, and climbs. So I have a little bit of experience here, but also have my girlfriend here with me and she lived here for six years, so she helps me out with GPX files to find all the nice little roads.

Søren Jensen
So Kasper, let's dive into it. Kasper, you have made quite a name for yourself in the cycling world, achieving remarkable victories, including winning the Danish National Time Trial Championships, I think, three times, and the Danish National Road Championship, Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, E3 and I guess what most will think of as the icing on the cake, the 2021 Tour of Flanders when you crushed some of the best one-day classic specialists and out-sprinted Mathieu van der Poel to win the race. But let's rewind a bit. How did it all begin for you? What inspired you to pursue a professional cycling career?

Kasper Asgreen
Well, I started cycling because I had stopped another sport. And my parents always encouraged me and my three brothers to do some sort of, some sort of sport when we were young. And so I had been looking around for like a year trying a few different things, and nothing really caught my attention that I stayed with it. And then during the summer watching the tour of France, like we did almost every, every summer, I said to my parents maybe, maybe cycling that looks like it could be fun. And we called out the local bike club, and yeah, they had training Tuesday and Thursday, and usually, there were races every weekend and we headed down to, to the bike shop and, and bought a, bought a race bike. And I showed up to the first training and then, yeah, immediately, I mean, the first couple of training, it just caught my attention and, you know, I've always been like, also with the previous sport, I was also like, I wanted to be a professional and live off that. And so with cycling, it was very quickly now have to be a professional and live off that, you know, so I've always like set the bar high and then see, see say when we end up, but that came quite quickly that I wanted to be a professional, but obviously at that point, it's more of a dream than anything. But it was always like the dream I was working towards.

Søren Jensen
At what age did you start cycling?

Kasper Asgreen
I was 14. And then I did my first like the Danish Federation, like the DCU races when I was 15. So I started in the summer of 14, and then I did the whole winter and I started racing the following year.

Søren Jensen
Did you already, you know, have the feeling that you were strong on time trials or some specific causes? Because everyone thinks that Denmark is pan-flat, but you know, that's not really the truth or not really the case. We got rolling hills and we got a lot of wind, especially crosswinds. Did you already find out that you had, that you were stronger on, in any of those areas? Like in on a lumpy race or like in time trails?

Kasper Asgreen
That came more when I was a junior. I really started to notice that the time trials were my favorite and started to work more specifically on that. When I was still an under-17 rider, I think I struggled almost everywhere, in the wind, in the hills, in the time trials, and they were just all going faster than me. So yeah, it came more when I was a junior, I think. Yeah.

Søren Jensen
But when did you, then, because your career has been proceeding pretty fast because, you know, from junior, you moved up then to, well, did you move to Germany in 2015?

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, that was the second year under the 23 for, as the first year on the 23 years started in the, in the B category, so like the second category. Yeah. And moved up to the category with a club team from Odder in Denmark, and they had their club team and, and was riding there in 2014. That's the first year on 23. I finished gymnasium in 2014 in the summer. And just like a lot of my classmates always, they'll go like on a, on a, on a longer trip in the years after they finish school before they go to university. I had the idea that I wanted to do like a year of racing for a foreign team and moving there, like a sabbatical year.
I saved up a bit of money during the gymnasium and also worked in the months after I finished school and until the new season would start I worked last to save up money so I could move abroad in 2015 and tried to have that whole avenger and get away from home, like really far away from home. So you're really on your own and you have to figure things out, on your own, you know.

Søren Jensen
Then you moved to Germany, right?

Kasper Asgreen
I lived in, I lived in the south of Germany down like an hour south of Frankfurt, 900 kilometers away from home which was nice. It was really nice area to ride in. And we had a really good race program with the, with the German team and I learned a lot in that year, that's for sure. I didn't have, I didn't have that many results but I think I learned a lot both as a survivor and as a person.

Søren Jensen
Yeah. Then you moved up to another country team, went back to Denmark, wrote for Team Tray four.

Kasper Asgreen
Really low concept near to change names a few times throughout the years, but yeah, a few.

Søren Jensen
Times. Yeah, but who made then the connection to Quick-Step? Was that through Brian Holm, or how did that happen?

Kasper Asgreen
I had been on a training camp with them in January of 2018. I was still with Virtu and I was invited as a guest for a training camp, with the help of Brian. Yeah. And then, unfortunately, at the end of January, beginning of February, they had a really bad accident in South Africa with a couple of riders, from Quick-Step. And that was run over by a truck. And it was clear that Laurens De plus was gonna be out for, for most of that season. And they also for the, for the whole season basically. And at the same time, a few other injuries. I think Fernando Gaviria had his broken hand at that point also, and they were struggling a bit to fill the roster in the different races and decided to take on another rider to fill that gap.

Søren Jensen
So did someone from the team reach out to you or your manager?

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, I got a bit of wind about this from my agent as I was heading down to do Tour of Normandy with Virtu because I had quite a good start to the season that year, finished fifth or sixth in Trofeo Laigueglia Pro race in Italy and I won a stage in Croatia Istrian Spring Trophy and finished second in the GC ahead of Pogačar, actually.
I had a pretty good start to the season, so, and they knew me a bit from the camp, so I was in the mix and yeah, I was dragging out a bit, but in the end my agent sent me a message. I think you should send Patrick a message yourself because I think he's getting tired of listening to me and Brian and Bjarne Riis also and also called Patrick and, and tried to put a bit of pressure on. So I think he was getting a bit annoyed with listening to so many people calling about me. So he said, I think it's better you send a message yourself. And I sent him a message and I get an answer back from Patrick that just said, stop and. And I was like, I died inside. I was like, now it's finished. No chance. I fucked it up. And then a minute he passed, and then like I get another message, we have a deal.

Søren Jensen
Oh, from Patrick?

Kasper Asgreen
From Patrick directly, and I sent a screenshot to my agent and I ran into my sports director's room and jumped up and down. So I was like, the evening after the third stage of Tour of Normandy we just did in zero degrees and snow, and it was terrible, but all of a sudden it was the best thing in the world.

Søren Jensen
Exactly. I mean, you were on cloud nine that could do everything just happily. Yeah. Nice, what a journey has been, and even today, I mean, you're only 28 years old and As part of the renowned Soudal Quick-Step team, you've had the privilege of riding alongside some of the greatest cyclists in the world. How has this experience influenced your development as a rider?

Kasper Asgreen
I think I had some really good teammates to learn from. When I joined the team, it was also a bit late for my age. Like I was no longer under 23 rider, so, you know, you also have to come in and you have to prove that they made the right decision. Yeah, obviously, the classics were over for that year, but I think they saw the qualities I had as a rider and get decided to give me the chance in the following year riding along Gilbert and Štybar and so on. They were amazing guys to learn from. And I think that's what also allowed me to already do some pretty decent results in the first year with doing the classics. So it was a, it was a steep learning curve, but I think the guys really taught me a lot in a very short time. And that's why it was, that's why it was possible to do that

Søren Jensen
You joined Quick Step in 2018, the following year you finished second at one of the biggest races in the spring classic season Tour of Flanders, ahead of big names like Alexander Kristoff, Mathieu van der Poel, Nils Politt, Michael Matthews, Oliver Naesen, Alejandro Valverde, Tiesj Benoot, and Peter Sagan. You were third overall in the Tour of California. You won the National Road Championships in Denmark and the Time Trail, and in 2020 when COVID-19 hit, you had just won Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. And then fast forwarding up to 2021, and after a victory at E3 Saxo Bank Classic, you took the most iconic victory in your career and a race that every single one-day classic rider dreams about winning one day, the Tour of Flanders, becoming the King of Flanders for one year. Can you take us through what went on on that last bit of the race when you were riding solo with Mathieu van der Poel, after breaking free on the Paterberg riding into Oudenaarde for final two-up sprint,

Kasper Asgreen
I felt like I had something left in the tank, at least. I thought about what my sports directors Wilfried Peeters and Tom Steel, told me, and they said, yeah, if you have, if you have something left in Flanders after 270 hot kilometers, then you have a pretty good chance because if you, if you have something left, it means you're on a, on a really good day is that if you, if you feel like you have something left, just trust your legs and don't, don't be afraid of anybody. And that, that really sat with me in the final race. I felt like I was still going.

Søren Jensen
But then a few times, fender, Paul tried to drop you?

Kasper Asgreen
You could see he tried some, some really strong attacks, but I was able to match him. Obviously, you don't know what happens when once you start the sprint, but, I felt like I could at least put up a good fight and then you will see what happens.

Søren Jensen
So therefore, one year, you became the king of Flanders. Must have been amazing, especially riding for a Flemish team and the number one classic team. I'm pretty sure when you were a kid, you were watching it on television, and I'm pretty sure also that you always liked that, that kind of racing. So it must probably also have been a big dream for you one day to win one of the big monuments like Flanders.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, the, the, the biggest, to be honest, slanders were always also before I wanted, was always my favorite race closely followed by Rub, but slanders always had a bit the edge for me because of the climbs. I think the combination of Kabal zones, the climbs, and the distance, and yeah, the wind and everything in those spring classics is just, it makes Flanders really, really special. And now I have the chance to ride it several times here at this point and also did many times the recon of right, the race. And every time I do it, I just, I just love the course and I think has such a beautiful flow between the climbs and the second between the climbs where, you know, here they either tactically difficult situations, they start to jump and you have to be very attentive that the race doesn't get away from you that you don't end up having to chase back. And, like, it's just, for me, one of the best race courses, in cycling. I know there are always a few small changes, but the basic elements always stay the same. And I love, I love that race course.

Søren Jensen
I know, I know you can see it also on Taily when you're racing. I mean, I think the guys like you the one day and the special classic specialist. I mean, you can see just, you can see the smile on your face when you're racing there. And it's like you said, I mean, you have to be careful not getting stuck too far back because then you're never gonna make your way up. And I mean, as soon as the birds start rolling in, then it's just an ongoing fight for staying at the front. What excites you the most about bike racing and I guess also like specifically classic races? I'm sure that they give you the most pleasure as you understand. Yeah,

Kasper Asgreen
I think, what excites me the most is the attacks and dynamic, aggressive racing. And that's also partly probably the reason why the spring classics is so appealing to me, because yeah, it's just like no other races in regards to being so how aggressive it is if you very rarely see that in, in states racing. Obviously, because if you, if we rode like that day in and day out in the Tour de France, 80% of the bunch would drop out because it's not, that's not physically, you know, no, you have to be a little bit more conservative with how you race. Whereas in, in those spring classics, one-day races, you can just leave it all, leave it all out there because you will have, you'll have time to recover even if it takes two or three days. Right. That's okay.

Søren Jensen
How is it then when you're riding the couples of the Roubaix, the Arenberg when you're bouncing the over the cobbles?

Kasper Asgreen
I, when I ride the cobbles, I like to imagine that, like, I'm trying to push the front wheel up as I'm riding, like with the pedal stroke that I'm like using the pedal stroke as a lever to get the front wheel to like to rise up. Because if you start to have the front wheel dig down into the cobbles, then you just get all every single stone just hits you in the, in the hands and in the body, and you just get beat up. But I like to like to try to lean back a little bit and just let them try to push the front of the bike upwards and, and let the front wheel glide over the, over the tops of the stones. And then, then that also keeps the rear wheel a bit more stable so that the rear wheel doesn't, doesn't bounce around too much, and you can get as much forward momentum as possible

Søren Jensen
As a rider, you excel in both time trials and one-day classics. How do you balance your training and preparation for these different types of races?

Kasper Asgreen
Well, for some, it's obviously easier than for others. Personally, I think it's a, it's a difficult balance, so I choose my moments a bit, to be honest. During the winter, going into, to the spring classic, I spent some time on my time travel bike, but not that much. And usually my time trial in like ti Reino or p or whatever it is, we'll also suffer a bit from that because my, my focus is mainly on those explosive efforts that I need on the, on the climbs in the, in the classics. And then once Pav is finished and I start to shift my focus a bit more towards the town travel bike and put a lot, a lot more work into that. And then usually I'll be on, on the CT bike two, if not three times a week and do some more specific work for that also. So yeah, for me, it's a difficult it's a difficult balance, so it's more depending on the season for me.

Søren Jensen
You've finished 4 Gand tours, how do you approach a three-week race mentally and physically?

Kasper Asgreen
Mentally it's pretty easy. Don't, don't think about the end, just take it day by day, right? Think if you start to finish, if you start the race thinking about the last stage,

Søren Jensen
Setting a few milestones, but you also got a job to do. I mean, maybe you have a stage to win, maybe if you wanna do a good, good result in a TT stage or a team time trial, there is always another stage where you have to work for your teammates. I mean, it's not like you

Kasper Asgreen
Just, you can think ahead maybe two or three days. Okay. There's a TT coming up, so I'll have, I'll take the next two days fairly easily and just finish with the grupetto and get to the stage as easily as possible, but thinking much further ahead than that I try.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. And oh, good. Yeah, physically, obviously it's, it's about arriving in as strong as you, as you possibly can, like, with a really good base condition that, that, that's just I think if you have a really, really good base that will, that will save you a lot of suffering in, in the long base in the mountains. And if you can get through those days fairly easily. Obviously, it's not easy, but, and it is, and it isn't for, for anybody from, from the last guy in the grupetto to the, to the, to the climbers finishing up in front, it's not easy for anybody, but if you can get through it without being completely destroyed, then I think that will, that will help you in the long run in a grand tour.

Søren Jensen
Cycling involves a lot of teamwork and strategy. How do you communicate and coordinate with your teammates during races, especially in high-pressure situations?

Kasper Asgreen
So yeah, usually we'll have, whether it's a sprint or if it's in a classic, we'll have like key points that we determine already ahead of the stage in the, in the meeting that yeah, at this point then we, here we meet and because we gotta be ready for this point 10 kilometers ahead or whatever it is. Yeah. here we meet and then we stay together from there because there's either crosswinds or a climb or Yeah, yeah. Narrow road or whatever it is, you know, there's some something we need to be aware of. And, so, so those points will be determined before the race. And then obviously in the races, it's a combination of, of using the radio, the signal, like it can be quite difficult to understand what's being said in the radio. So the less we can use the radio, the better. If we can talk directly, or yell to each other, that's preferred. But obviously sometimes if there's a rider or two between, then you cannot hear each other when going 55km/t. So you then you need to try to use the radio and try just to take two deep breaths and then speak quietly and the radio, and then you,

Søren Jensen
What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in your cycling career so far, and how did you overcome them? Here I especially think about that terrible crash you had at the Tour de Suisse last year and how you bounced back.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, like obviously that one is, has been the biggest setback I've had so far until that point. Honestly, I've been so lucky that it seemed like every year it was getting better and better, but it's been a long road back and, and still now, like, I'm still fine-tuning the last, the last things. And it's almost a year later like we're starting to the Swiss next week. So it's yeah, only a few days coming up and it's then, it's a year later, so, and I think it's only like in the last month, five or six weeks basically, that I could, that I can say that I start to feel like myself again to come back to my normal strength and getting better and better.

Søren Jensen
And you were seventh in Flanders, I think,

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, it's not, it's not bad. And definitely, I think if you had asked me a month before that that I would've signed off for Top 10 placement because a month before that, I didn't think I was even gonna make it to be ready to race, you know. He was along and, and hard road back, but

Søren Jensen
And you finished second of all at Four days of Dunkirk.

Kasper Asgreen
So yeah, I feel like now the base condition is, it starts to be there and yeah, now here on this camp, I try to work a lot on being a bit more explosive and being able to make that difference when, when we're in the finals because that's, that's definitely still missing. So hopefully, towards the Tour, that will come back also.

Søren Jensen
So do you think after a crash or a setback somehow that one of the positive and good things about also living back home in Denmark, you know, it helps you, especially mentally, but also with the network of people you have back home. I mean, you're one of the few professional daily cyclists who never moved to a warmer climate in Southern Europe. Mm-hmm. I'm pretty sure also that riding through the winter in Denmark because I've seen some of your photos therein, in the snow, but it definitely also, you know, I mean, we have some harsh winter seasons up there, and I'm pretty sure that this makes you one of the hot men, you know, staying in Denmark. Is that one of the reasons for staying in Denmark, not moving south?

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, especially the, the, the network part, like if something like this happens, you know, like we have amazing support from the federation and the team Denmark with all their expertise available. And the team was constantly in communication with, with them, and also my own physio that I work with in, in Colin. And if I needed scans or anything, it was easy to get easy to share the results with the team. So it definitely makes it easier to be, in that environment than not having to travel to do a scan of the knee necessarily. Like I can just drive over to my local hospital once I have an appointment there, you know? You don't need to spend two days to a flight to Belgium to do it, right? So you can keep more focus on your on your rehabilitation training and re we keep working cons consistently on that.

And, then I think the other, one of the other reasons is just with modern cycling teams, there are so many days of traveling that I have to train a bit in Denmark. Like it's in the end, if I start to count the actual amount of training days I have once I take away the off-season and some easy one-hour rides before and after the races are between training blocks. Like I think I'm down to less than 80 days of actual training in Denmark right. Rides more than three hours. So, in the end, it's not, it's not that many days. And you know, if, yeah, if there's a big week and I would like to ride a bit in the mountains, I can do like I do this week and, and just jump on a plane, I can leave the following day. My suitcase is always packed. I just need to pull it out from underneath the bed, you know? So I also made sure that my life was set up in a way that I, it's easy to, it's easy to go somewhere if the weather is bad. Yeah. And if I have a 30-hour week, I can just go somewhere else.

Søren Jensen
Yeah. Plus you live not too far from the airport.

Kasper Asgreen
I leave my house two hours before the plane departs and I have plenty of time and lunch in the airport and everything.

Søren Jensen
After crashing out of Paris Roubaix in April you returned to racing 3 weeks later at the UCI Gravel World Series (Blaavand) event in Denmark. What fascinates you about gravel riding – compared to road cycling?

Kasper Asgreen
Now, the, the race in, and then I did one last year over in California, right? That was the first two races. I, I have been using it for training for a couple of years now. It actually started with some of the some of the guys in Kolling that I ride a bit on the weekend. They're all well; some of them, at least, are from our bike riders in, in some form. Some used to ride on the road professionally and some West mountain bikers, and they started to ride on their gravel bikes and then, you know, okay, if I, I always enjoyed going, going, riding with them, and they were the, they were riding in the club bike when I started, so I always rode with them and Okay. If I wanted to continue to ride with them, I had to get a gravel bike also and try to ride out on that, you know, so, but yeah, it was, it was actually, I really enjoyed it from the beginning because all of a sudden, like there was like this whole new network of, of roads that I had no idea about.

Exactly. Yeah, because you've been riding around in this area around your, your hometown for 10 years or whatever it is, so you know, every single road at that point. Yeah, yeah. Like a radius of 50 kilometers away from the city, all of a sudden there's a whole, whole new network of roads, and yeah, you can start to connect different, different roads in a whole new way, and you

Søren Jensen
Start looking at maps again.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. You start looking at, at maps and creating GPX files, and yeah, sometimes like you see you see a road when you, when you're out riding on your road bike or gravel bike, whatever, you see, you're out riding, you see a road and I, I wonder where that goes. And you go home and you look at the maps and try to find out the, where does that one come out? And okay, then I can go this way around, and was really nice. And then I think a bit like a bit, like with the, with the cobs, actually, I always found it quite fun to ride on the cobs but find, find a bit the same here on, on the gravel, that riding on a bit more of a challenging surface. I think it's fun to challenge your technique a little bit. And I think also it definitely also made me a better biker in Yeah,

Kasper Asgreen
And also riding with these guys, a couple of them are former professional mountain bikers World Cup winner and Olympic one of them did the Olympics in Athens in 2004. And so, they're really good technically.

Søren Jensen
So they're challenging you

Kasper Asgreen
When, when we get in a technical section, I, I don't know how they do it, but somehow they find grip in those tires that I just cannot find and they still drop me and but yeah. Okay, then when, as soon as you have to put down a little bit more power, then I pass them and I give them a hard time and then it's all good.

Søren Jensen
Then you put the hammer down. . . Yeah, no, you're right, you're right. I mean, definitely, it definitely improves your bike handling skills and, but also what I hear from, from a lot of cyclists and ex-pros, they also say that gravel riding reminds them of the times when they were younger, when they had when they were just riding the bike for fun and adventure, not worrying about stress or disruptions in your personal life with the family and job and, and other things. And plus also a lot of people think they also want to distance themselves from, from the cars and the street definitely just getting out there and, and explore

Kasper Asgreen
Because like a lot of the rides that I end up doing on my gravel bike is also the, just the endurance ride. So you just have to go out and ride. Like you don't have a big block of effort that you have to focus on and Right. To really prepare mentally. And some days it can be, it can be quite hard efforts that you have to go out and do and Okay. Then I do it on my road bike, so when I go on my gravel bike, it's also, it's also a bit, it is a bit more of a relaxed ride mentally to start because it's gonna be a fun ride, not a hard ride, so know.

Søren Jensen
Exactly. Hey, Kasper, let's look a little bit hit in the future. What are your goals for this season and maybe even into next year?

Kasper Asgreen
Well, first first point, really short term, hopefully if all goes well, then it is to win to win a bike race again. That's what I need to kind of put this whole injury behind me and just say, okay, now I'm back to where I was before. And that's the short-term goal is to get back to winning races. That's the first point. And then, yeah, longer, longer terms. I think there's still a lot for me to do in the, in the classics, like they're still super fundraisers, and I still enjoy them a lot, so I'll keep working at that for at least a few more years until I don't like it anymore, but I'm not sure that point will ever come, but as long as I like it as wish Ill keep that keeps you going. Yeah, I'll keep working towards that every spring, and hopefully, at some point, I can also try to work towards winning the grand tour stage. I had a few close calls to a few second places in the tour and currently, I would like to try to win a grand tour stage as well. And yeah, also a bit of a bit of a goal of mine is Rainbow Jersey, either in the town trial or on the road. Both would be amazing, but either one would I would be very, very happy. That would be, that would be really, really cool. So that will also keep a goal of mine,

Søren Jensen
I'm pretty sure. I mean, would your mindset and everything those things you will achieve in the future? I'm, I'm pretty sure of that. Are you also a guy who tinker a lot with your bike set up? Do you work a lot on a bike, you know, at home in your garage, or do you leave it up more up to, the mechanic?

Kasper Asgreen
I work a lot on my bike myself. Like, I can do pretty much everything with a road bike, mountain bike, I struggle a bit more. I need some help there sometimes, but especially with the suspension suspensions.

Søren Jensen
Yeah. Changing the oil and all that.

Kasper Asgreen
Road bikes. I know my way around at this point, time travel bikes, I know my way around, so yeah. I always keep my own, my own bikes up to speed at home, and yeah, if, if they need something or repairs or anything, I can, I can do it. Yeah. if I make changes, I make it in the winter, yeah. Along with the bike fitters from Yeah. From specialized during our training camp and some so that the mechanics could update all my race bikes, which I don't have with me during the season. So position changes is usually in December or January, and then they stay the same the whole, the whole year. And we don't touch it too much as it starts to be complicated. So then all of a sudden have to match up four bikes that are in two different parts of the world, so. Right, exactly. Exactly. Logistically it's easier to do it once and then it stays like that. Yeah. And if you wanna change something, you do it again. In December or January,

Søren Jensen
Do you ride with the same bike set up on your gravel bike as you have on the road bike?

Kasper Asgreen
Like position? Yes. Have a different panel bar on, as I like to have a round handlebar on a gravel bike, it's a little bit more comfortable to ride on on even surfaces. Yeah. then the arrow bars can, they can be a bit harsh on the sharp edge of the hands, so Right. On the PY roads and also for probable rugby, I use a normal round handlebar, but otherwise, the position is, is the same. Yeah.

Søren Jensen
Kasper, we have been in the wind tunnel together, where we've been testing not only your position but also the A suits you have access to a full toolbox of Castelli products. Which products really stand out to you and make your job between brackets training and raising that a little bit easier?

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. in the wintertime, and especially since we talked a bit about, the conditions and Denmark earlier in the wintertime, all of the foul weather gear really, really helps me out a lot. Everything from shoe covers to gloves and the Alpha RoS 2 Jacket, I have a nice combo with the Gavia rain jacket on top of the Alpha jacket. And then the thick Flanders base layer that will get me through five hours of, rain and two degrees and still come home with a dry base layer. So that's, that's, that's quite impressive. I dunno how you guys do that, but Nice. I love, I love it. I put in for racing, I, I think my, my favorite piece for racing is the Sanremo Speed Suit, it has a nice blend of comfort, speed, and breathability. Yeah. like that, that suit can be used in such a wide range of conditions. That conditions

Søren Jensen
Yeah, you're correct.

Kasper Asgreen
I'll usually pack one extra of that one compared to almost everything else in a range of clothing, I'll always have just one extra of the Sanremo Speed Suit because, in the end, I think I use it. Yeah. Probably more than 50% of the races I use it.

Søren Jensen
Of the races. Yeah. And because you guys, you have access to, I think it's three road suits, BTW, the Sanremo, the Superleggera, but they know definitely just like you said with the Sanremo is very versatile, you can use in all kind of conditions. So yeah, no amazing product. What about in training? Do you also wear a rose suit in training, or are you more like a Jersey and short guy?

Kasper Asgreen
Oh, in training, it's always Jersey and bs. Like the suits, like, it's like, it's like putting on the race wheels also, you know when you put on the suit, then it's, then it's going on. The suits are safe for racing. Nice.

Søren Jensen
What would you usually put in your race rain back before spring? Classic race. So we are talking even like the early pre-classics in February and then all the way up to Roubaix, actually

Kasper Asgreen
My race rain bag stay the same all year round. We have two first and second in the first and second cars. In, in both of them, I have a normal pair of three arrow bibs and the Arrow jersey. Those are in both. And then I have basically split between the two a little bit. Basically one of each garment, so one midway vest, one Perfetto vest, mid-weight sauce sleeve, mid midway long sleeve, like basically one of each except for the alpha jacket all the way up to the Perfetto LS Jacket long sleeve, because then I'll have a number two with me in the, in the suitcase. So I always have two of each garment with me in the races. So I use the rain bags a bit as, as my, as my backup in case something breaks during the tour or my suitcase doesn't arrive with the flight and I need to do the first stage or two stages without my suitcase, then I know I have like a complete set of everything in the rain backs and I can start a race even without my suitcase.

Søren Jensen
Good thinking. All the rest of the riders on the team doing the same issue are thinking the same way.

Kasper Asgreen
It depends a lot if you, if you look at the rain backs, some rain backs are quite stuffed, like mine and some are quite empty, so I don't know. I know, I know. Sorry, I'm not gonna put a name on, but I, I, I heard a story once where a rider crashed, broke his shoe and they took out the rain bag because there was also a spare pair of shoes. They took out the rain bag and there was a pair of casual shoes in it.

Søren Jensen
Oh, yeah. Yeah. So since you bring almost like one bit of everything, also communicating with the mechanics in the car is, and is that easy enough if telling them what you need, you know, where they need to go and, and taking in your back?

Kasper Asgreen
In the beginning, it was a bit of a challenge, and I think for, for this year, like during the winter, we had a meeting with with Alan from you guys. Yeah. Kind of just went over all the products. What do they do so that if we ask for Uhto light that they know which one it is and would like the distinct little features that they have to look for when they're digging around in a, in a rain bag, like, because they'll maybe line next to a CTO long sleeve. So what, why, yeah, what's the difference? Yeah, like I know that the, the long sleeve has a little black panel underneath here and like the Gabba Jacker does, but then, the line doesn't, so like that, that's like, I'll immediately recognize it on that. But just teaching the mechanics, like those little things also, because they don't necessarily have, they get some clothes also, of course, but they don't necessarily have the whole range of, of products as we do, so. Right, exactly. They don't necessarily know them as well as we do. So that was a bit of a challenge the first year, but I think now, they know it better.

Søren Jensen
Do you think it was important, all of you guys, that Castelli every year when we meet up in Calper in December, that we take you guys through some of the new products, some of the existing products basically for new riders, but also explain you guys the differences between the aerodynamic drag on the different pieces and also with temperatures like those product presentations. Are they, they're good input for, for everyone on the team for most of the riders? Or do you think everyone just, you know, try the stuff out and just use whatever, you know, again, we know it's a personal thing, what you prefer and what you don't. But having those training sessions

Kasper Asgreen
Definitely think it's, it's it's an advantage to know like technic technically from a technical perspective, what is, what is the idea and what is the reasoning behind this product. And then, yeah, like you said, it's also a bit individual. Each rider will find their own way of using each thing. Like, I used a Perfetto vest a lot back home, even though it's not raining. Because it's nice that it's quite windproof and it's a bit warm at the same time. Right. So it kind of combines the midway west and the wind west in one layer, so, right. I use them, the profeta vest as like the, the the warm, windproof layer. So obviously, you kind of find out those things by yourself also, but at least to when you're, when you're new to the products that you have an idea from the beginning what is meaning behind this. Right.

Søren Jensen
Well, it was interesting. I mean, you're, you're writing everything that, that you're saying here with Thedo vest also, it provides that bit of in insulation compared to other vest. It also has the three rear pockets. What is the race situation, apart from being able to fit a few extra bars or gels or whatever you need to bring. But in the race situation, if you need to get rid of the vest and maybe also your arm warmers, you know, you can easily fit them into the back pocket on the vest and just, you know, return the vest to the car

Kasper Asgreen
If we come back and every rider gives a vest two loose arm warmers and two loose knee warmers got them like five, five pieces and then set the riders do that. Yeah. Then it's the cars a mess afterward. Exactly. Everybody packs their things into their pockets, and then there are only five pieces that they need to keep track of, or seven pieces to keep track of. Yeah,

Søren Jensen
Let's have some fun now, this is all about cycling style, and some random questions. Do you prefer to race in a road aero suit or aero jersey? What about in training?

Kasper Asgreen
If it's in the race and I just have to get, like, get it on quickly and get my hands back on the, on the handlebar, then usually I'll put them over. But in training or before the race, I'll put them over the base layer, but under the jersey,

Søren Jensen
What about socks, do you put your socks over or under your leg warmers?

Kasper Asgreen
Under, always under

Søren Jensen
Gloves or no gloves? In racing?

Kasper Asgreen
In racing, I prefer to ride with gloves but without any padding, like I honestly, I prefer to ride without gloves. Without gloves. I prefer the feeling of riding without gloves. So I like to have the gloves as, as, as minimal as as possible, the un-padded gloves that you guys make are, brilliant for that.

Søren Jensen
Also, just in case that, you know, you should end up on the deck, you know, you

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, exactly. That's the main reason, you know, I like I said, I prefer to ride without, but the risk is just too big. If you hurt, your hands, then you're out of the, out of the race, you know, you can't hold the handlebar properly.

Søren Jensen
What about socks? High or low socks? What do you prefer?

Kasper Asgreen
Like to just below the calf muscle, like just where the muscle starts, that's where the sock should end.

Søren Jensen
Nice, tall and perfect length. And also another reason for using or fast feet socks. Yeah. What do you think about them? Actually? Yeah.

Kasper Asgreen
Ah, they, they're, they're really, really good. I like them and they are nice and nice and thin also right. They, they don't get they don't get too warm. I had, I tried some aero socks before that was quite thick to get the texture needed to make them aerodynamic, but these are really nice and thin.

Søren Jensen
Now we're talking training and racing. What do you prefer, crosswinds or mountains

Kasper Asgreen
Crosswinds.

Søren Jensen
Cobbles or gravel?

Kasper Asgreen
For racing cobbles, for training gravel.

Søren Jensen
Would you prefer training or racing?

Kasper Asgreen
Racing

Søren Jensen
Do you have a seat on the team bus where you always sit, like front, middle, or back?

Kasper Asgreen
I'm on the front left seat behind, just behind the bus driver. That's usually rough. Most of the guys enter at the center door in the middle alone, they, oh, so from the front,

Søren Jensen
Don't just think if you're sitting there in the front, then, I mean, of course, everyone gonna come by you and says hi and hello. Sometimes people like to just hide down in the back. Plus, you guys, you got a good vibe going on in the bus, in the team bus.

Kasper Asgreen
But it's mainly because if I don't see out the front window, I can get a bit carsick going right, going to the start. And it's, it's never nice to start the race is feeling sick, so I, I like to be able to see out the front window.

Søren Jensen
What is the best moment in a race for you? Is it like the last kilometer or when you're in the breakaway or waiting for some people, but I don't, I doubt this is you when the breakaway goes; what is for you, like the best moment in a race?

Kasper Asgreen
When it's the most hectic, when there's the most going on, you know, I, yeah, it can be like almost chaotic. The final, you know, one case go, it can in a sprint can be like that, but usually one case you go, you have a pretty good idea of how the race is gonna end up, you know? Yeah. So there are in that phase where is it gonna be a small group? Is it gonna be a sprint? Like where the race is really being decided and how it's gonna pan out. That's the best part for

Søren Jensen
Me. Nice. Yeah. That chaotic thing. I'm pretty sure that you are really good at moving around inside the group.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. Yeah. I try.

Søren Jensen
What then is the worst moment in a race for you? I hate this bit. Why? In a race

Kasper Asgreen
When I'm dropped in a mountain stage and just have to go to the finish. That can be so long. You just have to get to the finish as easily as you can. But it's still, it's still hard. Yeah, exactly. So like that's, and it can be in the big mountain stages, it can be till three, four hours to go, and you're just kind of there maybe with a few other riders. Maybe you are ended up on your own or, you know, oh yeah. It can be a long, long wait.

Søren Jensen
Stay within the time limit. So have you ever been in charge of a group?

Kasper Asgreen
No, no. I mean, there's usually one or two of the guys that are kind of having to keep an eye on. I let the more experienced guys take care of that.

Søren Jensen
Plus, you also got your team directors there on the radio. That will probably also guide you in looking at the time. Yeah. You know, so, yeah. Kasper, what is your favorite training loop of all time?

Kasper Asgreen
Out in the hills, just northeast of Kolling where I live, going out there on, like May, June, Sun is shining.

Søren Jensen
22, 23 degrees.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, exactly. All the trees are super green, and just riding out there in that area and topping at the peanut valley equipment, there's like it's like an old like convenience store that is now rebuilt into like a museum of like old kitchenware and from an old, like, farm equipment.

And then around the back, they have a little cafe where they serve Smørebrød, the Danish sandwich, and cakes.

Søren Jensen
I gotta try that place next time. I'm home.

Kasper Asgreen
Time you're in Denmark. We'll, we'll, we'll ride out there together. That's a deal.

Søren Jensen 
Talk about food, by the way. So also cake. So when you stop for a coffee, eh, do a coffee stop during your training rides what's the treat that you would have? Like what cake pastry do you prefer? Or to go straight into the marble, which might, you know, be a little heavy on stomach start.

Kasper Asgreen
I'll loosely start with something savoury. Like like the marble or piece of bread with some, some cheese or something like that. Yeah. And say, and take the cake afterwards, but I don't know if I have a favourite one. Actually, I like all of them. I think always the biggest problem is always choosing, you know.

Søren Jensen
Choosing. I know, oh, tell me about it. Last year, the day before the tour started in Copenhagen, I was out there, you know, we remember with you guys and we stopped at this small bakery. Yeah. I think it was you and me who decided what cakes to bring to the table.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. They were buying a big wine and then just get out to the table. Everybody who could take a piece was nice.

Søren Jensen
Exactly. And you just saw that man, hey I don't know if it was the cake or what, but look at the lumpy the following day, taking yellow and winning the stage.

Kasper Asgreen
I'm sure it was the cake.

Søren Jensen
At races, do you have a normal breakfast (cereals, toast bread) or dinner breakfast (rice, omelet)?

Kasper Asgreen
Usually, on race day, I tend to do more or less always the same. First, a portion of porridge, a few slices of bread with an omelet or some scrambled eggs or whatever, some kind of egg, and then some pancakes. That's usually my pre-race breakfast.

Søren Jensen
Yeah. Just keep it the whole simple and, you know, not also disturbing your stomach with something new and different. So now that completely makes sense. What is your favorite rice food? Like rice cakes or is that the small panino, you know, when you get tired of eating gels and and energy bars?

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah. Like, I always stick to the gels and bars. Okay. Like, rarely, I rarely take any, like they do make rice cakes for us and like bread pudding and stuff like that, but I, to be honest, I rarely, I rarely use it. Like, I just find the bars, the gels, they're so convenient to eat Yeah. In the races. Yeah. Like they're made for that. So like with the rice cakes, your hands get a little bit sticky and then you're like off. No, I'll always just end up eating the, yeah. The products from our nutrition sponsor.

Søren Jensen
Well, Kasper it's been a pleasure talking to you, and thanks for Yeah. Dedicating some time for me. It's been super interesting even though we know each other as friends, but it's been very interesting also even to ask her some questions that we never talked about when we meet up at, at camps or at races and stuff. So it's been very interesting and interesting for the Castelli audience here. I don't know if you have anything else you wanna say to the Castelli audience before we wrap up this episode?

Kasper Asgreen
Have fun riding your bikes, and remember to ride in the rain.

Søren Jensen
Exactly. There's definitely no excuse. Yeah. For bad weather, it's only bad clothing, right?

Kasper Asgreen
Exactly.

Søren Jensen
Awesome. Well, castor, thanks a lot, man. And I'll see you I'll see you sometime soon.

Kasper Asgreen
Yes, I look forward to it.

Søren Jensen
Take care, buddy, and have fun down there in Girona. If you need anything, you know, remember to pop by the Castelli store or at least just for a coffee. If you wanna say hi to Luisa and Oscar.

Kasper Asgreen
Yeah, I'll do that. I've seen photos of the store. It looks, it looks really nice. So I, I'll, I hope I have time to stop by.

Søren Jensen
Thanks, Kasper, and see you earlier. Bye-Bye. Thanks to Kasper for joining us on the Castelli Show, and telling us about how he got into cycling. He's amazing Palmares, his season goals, his favorite Castelli products for riding through the harsh winter in Denmark, and his favorite race suits. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. Give us a five-star rating to help us be seen in the algorithms. And if you have a Castelli product-related question, email us from the contact form on the Castelli website, DMs on Instagram or Facebook, or you can also submit your question through the Q&A on the Spotify app. Thanks, everyone, and see you soon.