Winner of the prologue and of three other stages in the Tour de Suisse, a performance that came on the heels of five stage victories in the Tour of California, Peter Sagan looks set to clock up at least one win during what is his debut Tour de France.
The 21 year old Liquigas Cannondale rider is one of the most exciting young talents in the sport and, on the basis of his Suisse ride, could even fight for the victory in today’s 6.4 kilometre prologue time trial in Liège.
He’s got the kind of explosive power that could deliver success, although a climb like the one in Switzerland would have handed him a good advantage over riders such as Fabian Cancellara.
The Liège course is flat and fast, but his rivals know well not to rule him out.
TweeterSagan, a humorous, tongue in cheek Twitter account pretending to be him is predicting total domination in the race, but the rider himself is being a little more reserved in his targets. “I will have the opportunity to take on the world's best, with riders in top condition,” he said, relishing the challenge.
“My goal is first to be competitive and win a stage. As at last year's Vuelta, I will try to live day by day, without much thought or expectation.”
That Spanish tour marked Sagan’s debut in a three week race, and he impressed, winning stages six, twelve and 21. This year he’s stepped it up a level again, netting one stage win apiece in the Three Days of De Panne, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Oman plus the points jersey in the latter, those aforementioned five stages in California and four in the Tour de Suisse, plus another two points jerseys there.
Last week he finalised his Tour preparations with a win in the Slovakian road race championships, giving him a distinctive jersey to wear in the Tour. He’ll be happy to wear that, but even more pleased if he can exchange it for stints in yellow or green over the next three weeks. Given his form and his attributes, both are realistic targets.
First off, though, he’s looking at a sprint win. “Are there many stages suitable for me? Yes, on paper, but the competition will be strong,” he said. “Cavendish is the best in the world in the sprints, but each stage has its own story. I am here to do well and make my mark.”
He’s feeling psyched rather than pressured. “My victories so far have been important, especially for morale. The green jersey? It would be nice, but I do not want to think as far ahead as Paris.”