NSN Cycling have announced their third new signing for 2027 as Danish Classics specialist Kasper Asgreen joins on a two-year deal from EF Education-EasyPost.
31-year-old Asgreen has spent two seasons at EF after six seasons spent at Soudal-QuickStep, where he grew into one of the top cobbled Classics racers in the peloton. Highlights of his palmarès include the 2021 Tour of Flanders and breakaway wins at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, plus the E3 Saxo Classic and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
He joins Colombian climber Santiago Buitrago and neo-pros Moritz Kretschy and Jens Verbrugghe on the incoming list for NSN, and team general manager Kjell Carlström said he is "exactly the versatile rider we wanted to add to our roster", adding that Asgreen should "make a strong impact as both a leader and a teammate".
The Finn noted that Asgreen will help guide the young riders on the NSN roster as well as assume a leadership role.
"He is a fighter – whether on the cobbles, in a breakaway, putting the hammer down on the front of the peloton, or racing against the clock. His aggressive, opportunistic approach has earned him victories across a wide range of races, and we are excited to see what he can achieve in the years ahead," Carlström said.
"Not only will Kasper's experience and versatility see him assume a leadership position in the team, naturally as one of our key riders for the classics, but I also see him playing an important role in guiding our young riders. They can learn a lot from a rider of Kasper's calibre and really tap into his racing know-how."
Asgreen said he'll continue to target the spring Classics, and we can also expect him to take on the Vuelta a España as he aims to complete the 'Grand Tour trilogy' by winning a stage at each race.
"I definitely still have multiple goals that I would like to achieve. The Classics are obviously very special to me. They are where I had my big breakthrough and are the races that I enjoy so much," Asgreen said.
"I think the team already has a good classics squad and there’s so much potential there to be successful. So I hope I can come in and help guide the boys and use the experience I have from winning some of the biggest ones.
"I already have a stage win in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, so the next step would be to try and complete the trilogy, and I would love to do that with NSN. Beyond the classics and Grand Tours, one of the other big goals I have is the World Championships time trial.
"In 2021, I was two seconds off the podium at the World Championships, so I still have a score to settle there, and I would really like to get that medal at some point."
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