Kasper Asgreen Q&A – the cyclists' dozen: 'I love the cobbles, but hate the steep climbs'

After joining Deceuninck-Quick Step during a training camp in 2018, Danish rider Kasper Asgreen signed for the squad in April of that year before making his debut at Scheldeprijs.

• UCI WorldTour: The complete team-by-team guide to the season

Despite making two grand tour appearances – at the Vuelta a España in 2018 and at last year's Tour de France – it was his performance at the Tour of Flanders in 2019 that put the 25-year-old on the map. On a day in which the youngsters excelled, Asgreen finished second behind the Italian Alberto Bettiol after the time-trial specialist narrowly held off the chasing pack.

As Asgreen prepares to get his classics season started, which get under way at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, the Dane outlines his goals for the 2020 season.

"It will be a little bit like last year with the spring classics and then hopefully I will get selected for the Tour de France and the Olympics, and then the world championships at the end of the year," he tells Telegraph Sport. "I love the Tour of Flanders – I love the classics in general. If I can get a good result in one of them that would be incredible."

What's your earliest memory of cycling?

"It was on a summer vacation out on the west coast of Denmark, where my family had a summer house. We would ride out to a big lighthouse that is there and I was racing with my brother on the bike path. My mum and dad were riding behind us; yes that's my earliest memory."

And your first bike?

"My first bike was a little white and blue bike with stabilisers. I had fixed gears on it so I could ride backwards on it with the stabilisers, that was really fun."

What was the first bike race you went to?

"That was in Denmark at a regional race, maybe 30 or 40 kilometres from my home in Kolding in the south of Denmark. There was a bike race in this town called Vejen. That's where I experienced my first race."

Do you have a favourite ride anywhere in the world?

"There's this cafe near home which is the middle of nowhere, there is this old general store that has been built into a museum with loads of old stuff from back then. Around the back there is a cafe where they have a huge buffet of cakes and different rye-bread sandwiches and stuff like that. There's no service so you serve yourself and wire the money to them on your cell phone – you do everything yourself. It works because it's a local community and everybody is honest. It's a really nice place."

And is there a favourite climb anywhere in the world?

"Oude Kwaremont [in East Flanders], it's fun. I like cobbles and the atmosphere there during the classics is great. If you really want, you can ride it in the big ring. It's a good climb for me [laughs]."

Are there any climbs that you particularly dislike?

"I'm not a huge fan of the climbs out here [near Calpe, Spain]. There's a town near here called Tollos , with these climbs – real steep little f------, I really hate them. We go there every year during our training camps and it's just so f------ hard."

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career?

"I would have to say, probably Christian Poulsen – a guy from my hometown – he used to be a professional mountain biker. He was racing at national level races when I started cycling and he helped me a lot, he still does. If I had to choose one person it would definitely be him."

Had you not become a cyclist, what would you be doing now?

"I would probably be studying at a university: physics. I don't know exactly what I would do with it, but physics and maths have always been an interest of mine. These were my strongest fields at school, so maybe I would be doing something along these lines."

If you could relive one day from your career, which one would it be?

"I wouldn't, I would like to keep progressing."

Is there any day from your career that still gives you nightmares?

"No, I keep progressing."

Who is your sporting hero?

"My sporting hero? That's a difficult one, but when I was growing up my biggest idol in cycling was Fabian Cancellara. Because of what he did in the classics and time trials – I really love those two things and he's kind of the poster boy for these – he was a rider I could see myself in. He was a rider I definitely aspired to become."

Are you able to describe the taste of success?

"Champagne. Champagne after a big win."