Last week, Kasper was in Portugal, refining his early-season form at the Volta ao Algarve. It was the Danish rider’s first stage race in EF Education-EasyPost colors, and the focus was on building upon the solid foundations he laid during the winter training camps in preparation for the classics.

Kasper’s on-the-bike qualities provide our EF Education-EasyPost men’s squad with an added edge and a renewed sense of excitement as we head into the opening weekend, with Kasper competing both in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad on Saturday and Kuurne the following day.

“The aim in these early races has been to support each other, and honestly, it’s been a pleasure. It’s been really nice to get going, and we’ve been riding well as a team in these first few races and communicating well,” Kasper told us ahead of this weekend’s double-header in Belgium.

Kasper made his EF Education-EasyPost debut at the Figueira Champions Classic earlier this month, posting a credible top-twenty. The result showed that the all-rounder was on the way up, and in Algarve, his main focus was on racking up extra kilometres and forging bonds with the teammates he’ll be racing with throughout March and April.

“That aspect was essential for me at Algarve. The race came down to sprints, mountain stages, or the final time trial, so it wasn’t like there was an obvious opportunity for me. The priority for me was making sure that we were on the right path for the classics. It was great spending time with the guys, learning more about how they all race and hanging out at the dinner table in the evenings. Very quickly, this felt like home for me,” he said.

“At the same time, I’m really looking forward to getting into the classics, starting with Omloop het Nieuwsblad and then Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne as part of opening weekend. Several of the riders from the Volta ao Algarve will head to Belgium next, and the work that we’ve done in Portugal, in terms of getting to know each other and how we work, will be beneficial in the classics. Figueira Champions Classic showed that I’m on the right track. There’s still some work to do, but there’s still time before we reach the big ones like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but the signs are good,” the Dane added.

Kasper’s classics campaign will briefly pause after opening weekend, as he heads to France for Paris-Nice, before resuming later in March with a string of one-day appointments, including Milano-Sanremo, the E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and Dwars door Vlaanderen, that will culminate in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – the two biggest cobbled races in the men’s WorldTour.

The early season races have given Kasper the chance to shape his condition, and now he can’t wait to turn his focus to the races he’s most passionate about.

“It’s no secret that I’ve had a difficult time in the spring classics over the last couple of years, so the aim is to get back to the front and be in the mix when fighting for victory. If you have the level to do that, then anything is possible,” he said.

“It’s great to be part of this team. Leading the EF Education-EasyPost in the classics is something that you need to work on in terms of gaining trust from your teammates, and that’s where Alargve was helpful. Now I’m eager to head to Belgium, put on this jersey and take on the cobbles,” Kasper added.

We can’t wait to see you in action, Kasper.