'The goal for me is the Classics' - Asgreen on building form and connections in Portugal ahead of Opening Weekend

Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost), a former winner of the Tour of Flanders, E3 Saxo Classic and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, falls into the latter camp, as he told Domestique during the race.

“The goal for me is the Classics,” Asgreen simply told Domestique when asked about his feelings ahead of the race and the upcoming block of racing. 

The Volta ao Algarve has become an important race as part of the Danish rider’s preparations ahead of the cobbles, with Asgreen featuring in four of the previous five editions. In 2021, the year he won E3 and Flanders, the signs of good form had been clear in February already when Asgreen finished 3rd overall and won a stage.

“Of course, the weather is nice here usually, there’s some good climbing, and it just falls in a nice spot in the calendar, where you’re going to get some race kilometres in the legs,” said Asgreen when asked about making his fifth appearance in six years in Portugal.

Asgreen made up part of an EF Education-EasyPost team in Portugal that features a strong blend of experience and youth. The Dane highlighted British sprint prospect Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost) as a rider with a lot of potential, and one the team can look to build a sprint train around. Hobbs is also set to join the Dane at Opening Weekend, indicating he has much more in his locker than just his sprinting ability.

The 21-year-old British rider has made the full-time step up to the WorldTour level for this season, following a successful 2025, which saw him win a stage and the points jersey at the prestigious under-23 race, the Tour de l’Avenir. 

“I think we really want to try and get some sprints built up around Noah. That’s our primary focus this week. There are stages that are going to be important for us in our preparations," Asgreen said ahead of the Volta ao Algarve.

On the opening stage in the Algarve, Hobbs sprinted to 14th place behind Paul Magnier in Tavira, before improving to 7th on stage 4, indicating that things are starting to come together for the American team as a whole.

Asgreen underlined the importance of putting the foundations in place to build EF’s sprint train around Hobbs for the season ahead, while also developing connections ahead of the Classics. He added that the process can take time with a mix of youth and experience.

“Yeah, I think especially with Noah, we have a really exciting young sprint prospect, and I look forward to trying to build up a good train around him throughout the season,” said Asgreen. 

“This week is kind of the first test of that, and for sure we’re going to be making some mistakes, but that’s the only way to learn," explained the Dane. 

Domestique also spoke to Hobbs in Portugal, and the British rider shared the same sentiment when it came to building connections ahead of the key targets.

“I think that was a good point, everyone being together, especially for this race, like obviously building the team together and having that good, strong bond between everyone,” Hobbs told Domestique ahead of the second stage.

Opening Weekend kicks off with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, February 28, the first part of a double header, before Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday, March 1.

Both races finished in a bunch sprint twelve months ago, won by Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), respectively. Asgreen could be in the mix if the racing becomes selective. Hobbs could be a rider to watch in the event of a sprint finish.