# Peter Sagan...



## superg (May 9, 2010)

... it's almost as if he will ride himself into "the most successful Poulidor" ever.
The next race will be his, for sure.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

For sure.


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

I'm not ready to feel sorry for Sagan quite yet. However, I do wish he would:

eat a bit more an hour from the finish, so that he's not desperate downing GU in the final kms, and

quit listening to his race radio, which pretty much screamed "pull! pull!" all the way to the line.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

It's E3 and not Roubaix or Flanders, so I don't think he will be losing any sleep tonight. He was in the mix in MSR as well before Gaviria's crash. I think he will be fine. We will see what he does tomorrow, but my guess is that he is trying to peak for Flanders and Roubaix and doesn't want to go into those races with an even larger target on his back. I'm not sure that's the way I would play it or the way I would like to see him play it, but I am a believer in momentum and I like the way Kristoff blew away everyone in every race he could a couple of years ago.


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

Sagan had no choice but to power the breakaway; Kwiatkowski had at least Ian Stannard in the chase group so no reason to work, waiting in the wings if the break got absorbed. Sagan had no backup. He got the best outcome in his situation.

What I don't understand is, why Trek-Segafredo wasn't working with Etixx to bring the break back; Trek had no one in the break so all the reason to suck it back in. I assume Cancellara was gassed from his chase.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Rashadabd said:


> It's E3 and not Roubaix or Flanders, so I don't think he will be losing any sleep tonight. He was in the mix in MSR as well before Gaviria's crash. I think he will be fine. We will see what he does tomorrow, but my guess is that he is trying to peak for Flanders and Roubaix and doesn't want to go into those races with an even larger target on his back. I'm not sure that's the way I would play it or the way I would like to see him play it, but I am a believer in momentum and I like the way Kristoff blew away everyone in every race he could a couple of years ago.


He worked himself into a nice position when he got cut off by the pile-up.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Peter P. said:


> Sagan had no choice but to power the breakaway; Kwiatkowski had at least Ian Stannard in the chase group so no reason to work, waiting in the wings if the break got absorbed. Sagan had no backup. He got the best outcome in his situation.
> 
> What I don't understand is, why Trek-Segafredo wasn't working with Etixx to bring the break back; Trek had no one in the break so all the reason to suck it back in. I assume Cancellara was gassed from his chase.


Yeah, exactly! I said in the classics thread, Kwiatkowski won that race in 20-30km breakaway well before the sprint finish... Great tactical and team racing. And I think FC was gassed out and to get a 4th place finish after that race is amazing. No win, but that's watching a champion racer!


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

Could he have won on a Venge? The wind tunnel data from Specialized says it would have made plenty difference over all those miles of pulling at the front. How bad is it in other respects that he doesn't start using the "aero advantage" after a finish like this?


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## superg (May 9, 2010)

There.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Off the schneid.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

strongest man on the day. i expect to see a roubaix or flanders win in 2016.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

dnice said:


> strongest man on the day. i expect to see a roubaix or flanders win in 2016.


It was a very nice finish.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

He was very careful to save his energy in the break.
Notice how often he was in a full aero tuck?
Meanwhile Cancellara kept sitting upright. 
Props to Kuznetsov for being able to stay in the break and even lead out the sprint after going out alone.
Also LOL at the moto rider caught having a nature break!


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

Not smart riding by Spartacus. Should have attacked 4 km out like Gerain Thomas did instead of cruising into the finishline with Sagan. Even if the attack failed, it would have weakened Sagan. But cruising to the finishline with Sagan is like asking to sprint with him. If Cancellara was pissed off, he should be pissed off at himself first!


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

aclinjury said:


> Not smart riding by Spartacus. Should have attacked 4 km out like Gerain Thomas did instead of cruising into the finishline with Sagan. Even if the attack failed, it would have weakened Sagan. But cruising to the finishline with Sagan is like asking to sprint with him. If Cancellara was pissed off, he should be pissed off at himself first!


Tactical choices limited by ability at the time. He should've dropped them all on the last 'Berg and solo'd in like a few years ago but he worked with what he had.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

If Cancellara was in a two up break it might have been possible for him to ride away from Sagan.
He was in a break with three other very good riders. Riding away from those three would have been very difficult if not impossible.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Yep, would've needed more terrain to work with to make it even worth trying. He and Sagan were really the only ones pulling anyway. They had eliminated Etixx and Sky. They (correctly) rode their guts out for that and figured the rest put in the last km.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

this will Mark what kind of Champion Sagan is. Boonen and Fabian even while marked men in their major races still dictated the terms


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Sagan with a great ride. Smart, seemed in the right place at the right time, always. Seemed to dictate terms when it mattered most. Great race, well deserved win, 1st monument and Flanders in the rainbow.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

atpjunkie said:


> Sagan with a great ride. Smart, seemed in the right place at the right time, always. Seemed to dictate terms when it mattered most. Great race, well deserved win, 1st monument and Flanders in the rainbow.


It was like watching Jordan in his prime... "I'm gonna take over... NOW! This is mine, you guys go home."


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

TricrossRich said:


> It was like watching Jordan in his prime... "I'm gonna take over... NOW! This is mine, you guys go home."


If the guy can come into the season fit, healthy, and determined to win, it could be a long and bumpy road for everyone else. He's won cobbled classics, multiple green jerseys, a one week stage race (Tour of Cali), and now a Monument. I don't see anything standing in the way of him continuing to do that for years if he can avoid illness, serious injury, boredom and/or loss of focus.


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## penn_rider (Jul 11, 2009)

I looked as if he was in the wrong place, but the a series of events found him in the right spot to hit the gas. And Greipel! Whats up with that? Fantastic..


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

penn_rider said:


> I looked as if he was in the wrong place, but the a series of events found him in the right spot to hit the gas. And Greipel! Whats up with that? Fantastic..


Griepel loves the Ronde. He rides hard every time, he honors the event


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

As an avowed Peter Sagan fan I'm thrilled with this result. I must say, though, when Cancellara made his move move from the chasing group I thought it was curtains for Sagan. I mean he was flying past everyone!


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

JSR said:


> As an avowed Peter Sagan fan I'm thrilled with this result. I must say, though, when Cancellara made his move move from the chasing group I thought it was curtains for Sagan. I mean he was flying past everyone!


Fabian rode a smart race. There was a very real chance he would catch Sagan, but Sagan held his lead. That's mano a mano and the stronger guy on the day prevailed


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> Fabian rode a smart race. There was a very real chance he would catch Sagan, but Sagan held his lead. That's mano a mano and the stronger guy on the day prevailed


Mano a Mano indeed! a real test of mettle today. my oh my a beautiful win. seeing those two decimate the field and duke it out


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I don't want to count any chickens before they hatch, but this seems to be pretty spot on:

Sagan's cobbles reign officially begins at Flanders - VeloNews.com


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

His flight up the Paterberg was jaw dropping. Just wow.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

He's now #1 in the World Tour:

Sagan tops UCI WorldTour and World Rankings | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

The new Sagan question: who does he ride for in 2017?

Sagan becomes the centre of the transfer market after Tour of Flanders victory | Cyclingnews.com


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Rashadabd said:


> The new Sagan question: who does he ride for in 2017


With Tinkoff trying to sign a new name sponsor by the end of the Giro, you'd expect any prospective sponsor to try to seal a deal with Sagan as well.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

JSR said:


> With Tinkoff trying to sign a new name sponsor by the end of the Giro, you'd expect any prospective sponsor to try to seal a deal with Sagan as well.


If Tinkoff secures a new sponsor for next year, he's already locked in for at least one more year. They already have a contract with him for 2017, but everyone that cares about the green jersey and the classics will be trying to sign him to a long-term deal if they don't find one.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)




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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I saw that the morning of Flanders and I love it.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

Rashadabd said:


> If Tinkoff secures a new sponsor for next year, he's already locked in for at least one more year. They already have a contract with him for 2017, but everyone that cares about the green jersey and the classics will be trying to sign him to a long-term deal if they don't find one.


eh, eh, eh... not so fast. Not everyone that cares about a green jersey and the classics, only the ones that can afford him and have space to sign him. Those two things actually limit the options pretty well. Team Sky easily has the budget, but may or may not be interested in a rider like Sagan and he may not be interested in riding for a team like Sky. They seem to be very 'by the book' or 'by the numbers'. I get the feeling that Sagan rides very much on feel. BMC, I think, has the budget but they also just signed Richie Porte to a pretty big deal, do they have enough room in terms of budget... also do they care about winning a green jersey, if they're trying to field a team to support GC riders like Teejay and Porte... Does Sagan want to ride for a team that is supporting GC so much. You could argue he already does with Tinkoff, but I don't get the feeling that he really loves that so much either. EQS might have the budget and seem to have the right goals in mind, but they have Kittel, so they probably don't care about also grabbing a green jersey with someone else. They also have plenty of classics options as is... arguably, Boonen is at the end but Stybar and Martin both seem to be wanting to step into that role.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

MMsRepBike said:


>


Supposedly it was made by a fan and given to him... not sure how true that is though.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

TricrossRich said:


> eh, eh, eh... not so fast. Not everyone that cares about a green jersey and the classics, only the ones that can afford him and have space to sign him. Those two things actually limit the options pretty well. Team Sky easily has the budget, but may or may not be interested in a rider like Sagan and he may not be interested in riding for a team like Sky. They seem to be very 'by the book' or 'by the numbers'. I get the feeling that Sagan rides very much on feel. BMC, I think, has the budget but they also just signed Richie Porte to a pretty big deal, do they have enough room in terms of budget... also do they care about winning a green jersey, if they're trying to field a team to support GC riders like Teejay and Porte... Does Sagan want to ride for a team that is supporting GC so much. You could argue he already does with Tinkoff, but I don't get the feeling that he really loves that so much either. EQS might have the budget and seem to have the right goals in mind, but they have Kittel, so they probably don't care about also grabbing a green jersey with someone else. They also have plenty of classics options as is... arguably, Boonen is at the end but Stybar and Martin both seem to be wanting to step into that role.


You are both correct and incorrect in my opinion my friend. You are right that teams with limited budgets probably won't be in the running. They are not completely out of it, however, because pro cycling's superstars come with their own financing sometimes these days (see Cavendish and his move to Dimension Data last year). 

Regarding everything else, I seriously doubt that any team with the funds will consciously pass on what may very well be cycling's first potential crossover star since Lance Armstrong. BMC will try to replace Gibert with him and focus more on the Cobbled Classics if they can. The team is owned by a billionaire, so they will be in play. Etixx is a major contender. The Boonen era is over and they will be very serious about replacing him with Sagan. Stybar and Martin will have to take a back seat if they get the chance. Neither has proven himself to be a bonafide classics star yet. Kittel being on the squad is a nonfactor as well. They view him as a bunch sprinter for grand tours and such and they will be looking at Sagan as a future Classics legend. If you are a Belgian team like Etixx, Classics are the name of the game, so they won't pass on Sagan because they have Kittel. Specialized will be big players there too. They will want to keep him on their bikes and Tinkoff finding a new sponsor or moving him to Etixx is their best/only chance. They will cough up money to make one of those things happen. 

Sky invested major dough in Kwiatkowski for their classics races and are very hungry for a Monument and Classics victory, but how much are they willing to invest in another classics star when they just bought one and grand tours are their real focus. They will take a close look and be tempted by the fact that Kwiat and Sagan are boys, but I am not sure they will outbid a Specialized backed team. Trek has a bunch of money to throw around with their new sponsorships secured and they have to replace Cancellara. It's another team with a Classics oriented clulture and focus. I expect it to come down to Etixx, Tinkoff, and Trek in the end. We shall see what team he eventually calls home.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Rashadabd said:


> The new Sagan question: who does he ride for in 2017?
> 
> Sagan becomes the centre of the transfer market after Tour of Flanders victory | Cyclingnews.com


My guess is Ettix Quick Step. I think they will release a few riders to clear up some room.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> My guess is Ettix Quick Step. I think they will release a few riders to clear up some room.


I could definitely see that happening with Specialized involved...


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

atpjunkie said:


> My guess is Ettix Quick Step. I think they will release a few riders to clear up some room.


This seems logical. Sagan has defeated the entire Etixx team in the last few races (6x guys and they couldn't catch him) and Lefevre has a knack for finding a way to have the best guys at the best time.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

davidka said:


> This seems logical. Sagan has defeated the entire Etixx team in the last few races (6x guys and they couldn't catch him) and Lefevre has a knack for finding a way to have the best guys at the best time.


It definitely makes a lot of sense, but will Sagan thrive in the structured and very Belgian culture that exists at Etixx or will he crave the kind of freedom he might find at Trek? Both have the money and are losing a Classics legend. I am interested to see which one he likes more.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Rashadabd said:


> It definitely makes a lot of sense, but will Sagan thrive in the structured and very Belgian culture that exists at Etixx or will he crave the kind of freedom he might find at Trek? Both have the money and are losing a Classics legend. I am interested to see which one he likes more.


Quick step. Focused on the classics. Likes stages and possibly a green jersey in the tour. No real GC team. Fit Sagans to a T and he would be team boss. I think they may release Boonen at the end of this year. I hope Tom gets P-R #5 and just leaves his shoes on the podium.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

atpjunkie said:


> Quick step. Focused on the classics. Likes stages and possibly a green jersey in the tour. No real GC team. Fit Sagans to a T and he would be team boss. I think they may release Boonen at the end of this year. I hope Tom gets P-R #5 and just leaves his shoes on the podium.


I agree with a lot of that. Green jerseys would conflict with Kittel's presence though. I could see Boonen retiring after Roubaix to be honest. He keeps saying it is the only reason he is still riding. To be fair, many of those same circumstances are present at Trek as well, but it is a little less rigid environment. I can see pros and cons for going in either direction and I am sure Cancellara and Boonen will be in his ear advocating for each camp. We'll see where he ends up. The money on the table may play a huge role.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Rashadabd said:


> I agree with a lot of that. Green jerseys would conflict with Kittel's presence though. I could see Boonen retiring after Roubaix to be honest. He keeps saying it is the only reason he is still riding. To be fair, many of those same circumstances are present at Trek as well, but it is a little less rigid environment. I can see pros and cons for going in either direction and I am sure Cancellara and Boonen will be in his ear advocating for each camp. We'll see where he ends up. The money on the table may play a huge role.


he would definitely be boss @ Trek. Fabian is retiring and he is almost solely responsible for all their major wins


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

I think Sagan will fit nicely at Trek, and Trek needs a guy like Sagan. Together, they can focus on Classics and Green jersey.

If Sagan goes to Etixx, then he'll play second fiddle to Kitel on every flat stage, which I cannot envision Sagan accepting.


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## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

aclinjury said:


> I think Sagan will fit nicely at Trek, and Trek needs a guy like Sagan. Together, they can focus on Classics and Green jersey.
> 
> If Sagan goes to Etixx, then he'll play second fiddle to Kitel on every flat stage, which I cannot envision Sagan accepting.


Good point. At Trek he fills the FC void perfectly!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

And there you have it (sort of):

Sagan linked to Etixx-QuickStep for 2017 | Cyclingnews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

If this is true and I was working for Trek or BMC, I would be immediately placing Michael Matthews' and John Degenkolb's agent, parents, and close friends all on speed dial (if Degenkolb is ever going to be healthy again).


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Here's bit more on Etixx and Trek's plans:

Could Peter Sagan be on his way to Trek-Segafredo in 2017? - Cycling Weekly

https://translate.google.com/transl...an-naar-etixx-trek-wil-degenkolb/&prev=search

Some Euro papers appear to be saying Sagan to Etixx is a done deal and that Trek will probably land Degenkolb. As usual, we'll see.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Well, if Etixx isn't bluffing, it might just be Trek after all. They can't get Nibali, have a bunch of money to spend, and need a replacement for Cancellara. This might make them the only team that is willing to meet Sagan in the world of $6 Million+.

Can top teams afford Sagan’s $6m price tag? - VeloNews.com


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I am going to count this evidence that negotiations with Specialized and Etixx are still going on:

Sagan to race in mountain bike events before heading to the Tour of California | Cyclingnews.com


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## pulser955 (Apr 18, 2009)

Rashadabd said:


> I am going to count this evidence that negotiations with Specialized and Etixx are still going on:
> 
> Sagan to race in mountain bike events before heading to the Tour of California | Cyclingnews.com


PLEASE god let him race world cups. The 3 way battles will be amazing. If you watch MTB world cups you know who I'm talking about.


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

It looks like we counted Astana out way too soon:

Sagan in talks with Astana for 2017 | Cyclingnews.com


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

pulser955 said:


> PLEASE god let him race world cups. The 3 way battles will be amazing. If you watch MTB world cups you know who I'm talking about.


Yes! a win win for all involved. However....

As a big Sagan fan I have seen his incredible bike skills and fitness in action but still don't think he's even on the same planet as Nino and the top XC guys. Here's a look at Nino training.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW-nWnl5hYk


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