# Sagan throws down the gauntlet...



## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Not surprising but Sagan & Cannondale are targeting the same yellow and green that Cavendish & OmegaQS have as a their goal. Should be fun. 

Sagan To Target The Yellow And Green Jerseys At The Tour De France | Cyclingnews.com
Cavendish Wants Yellow Jersey In Corsica | Cyclingnews.com


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Cav may win more stages, especially bunch sprints...obviously.
Sagan will have consistently higher placings because he can finish well on all but the steepest climbs.


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

I have always loved the sprints. This year evermore so. Esp with Cavendish and Sagan.


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## DonDenver (May 30, 2007)

Gauntlet? More like pushing the nuke button on the first day with the 213km pancake battle field of Porto-Vecchio/Bastia. With the first day energy and the jersey(s) potential bragging rights into day two it maybe one of the most powerful and dangerous point to point days we've seen in a few years.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

Could be a new record for fastest average speed in a stage. 

Anyone who crashes or gets dropped will be up the creek.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Cav seems to do pretty good for himself when he has a team willing to help him. He could have done much better last year when Sagan won the jersey had Sky had any interest in the jersey. Don't underestimate Cav because Sagan has won races (when Cav isn't there). Who exactly leads the Cannondale train? Do they have the world ITT champion to steamroll the leadout?


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## LostViking (Jul 18, 2008)

Sagan is an amazing talent - especially his ability to hang on at the front end during a stage and then be in the mix for a victory when it gets hairy in the last km as well as a pretty good ITT - as good an all-rounder sprinter hybrid as we are likely to see.
But given a flat stage or enough Kms to catch back on after a tough climb - Cav's your man for the sprint stages.

The fight for the green jersey should be just as exciting as the fight for the yellow this year - I hope.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Contrast:

_My goal is clear: to defend my green jersey and get the most stage wins I can. It won’t be easy because I’ll be up against Cavendish, Greipel and Goss. You can’t have a bad day, you’ve got to choose the right tactics and you need a strong team._
-Sagan

_I don’t fear anybody. It’s irrelevant who’s there. There are some strong guys but if you’re looking at the other guys, you’re not looking at the goal, which is crossing the finish line first._
-Cavendish


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

I'm liking this Sagan more and more everyday. I think he'll take green jersey again.


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## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

Cav can't climb for ****. Sagan will win the green again.


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## El Scorcho (Dec 14, 2005)

SFTifoso said:


> Cav can't climb for ****. Sagan will win the green again.


Probably never has been said by any cyclist ever but, I wish I could climb as good as Cav.


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## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

The future GOAT already with the winning mentality.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Here's another article from cyclingnews re: OPQ. Rolf Aldag says:

"Cav is there to try and win stages, and of course one of the big goals of Mark is to go for the yellow jersey on the first day," ...
"Mark will be able to count on the same leadout of the Giro d'Italia. They are already tested in race situations and will be ready again. Steegmans will be the last man, and Matteo Trentin will be the second to last man. But, all the team will be committed with Mark when the stage will fit his characteristics. Tony Martin will be there to ride to the 'Flamme Rouge' on the flat stages. He will bring Matteo, Gert and Cav into the best position possible in the final kilometer."

What I like about this is that OPQ isn't even trying to pretend they have any other intentions. No mention of looking for "opportunities" on rolling stages, or second-rate climber expecting to "stay in the hunt in the Alps", as we usually read in the leadup to the tdF.

Aldag just lays it down: this is what we're going to do, this is how we're going to do it, and this is who we're going to do it with.

I'm afraid Sagan, who I think is an awesome rider, will have his hands full trying for Green this year.

JSR


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

JSR said:


> I'm afraid Sagan, who I think is an awesome rider, will have his hands full trying for Green this year.
> 
> JSR




I am not so sure. I think the analysis of Cav getting most wins and likely getting yellow on first day and Sagan winning the green jersey (easily) in the end is right on target. I was really impressed with Sagan sprinting from small groups last few years, including his breakaways (when Sanchez attacked while Sagan was eating a sandwich) - this was really impressive. You can easily lose green jersey just for not being there in a sprint for 3rd place after breakaway. With amount of climbing they have to do this year, I think Sagan is a shoe-in for green.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

How many times has Cav specifically targeted green? Seems in the past he's mainly been interested in winning stages rather than going for points and contesting intermediate sprints. It does seem he's improved his endurance and climbing in the past year and a half or so, which gives him a much better shot at green, IMO.


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## drussell (Aug 6, 2010)

El Scorcho said:


> Probably never has been said by any cyclist ever but, I wish I could climb as good as Cav.


Made me LOL...I would have to agree.


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## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

El Scorcho said:


> Probably never has been said by any cyclist ever but, I wish I could climb as good as Cav.


Haha so true. Cav only has trouble (as in seeing grimmace on his face) with a sustained (5-6 km) at 7%+ gradient. Anything less than 5% his facial expression is that of comfortable and effortless. 

But if he wants to go for Green or points, he'll need to get over some of those 7-10% kickers in a breakaway group, while not running himself into the ground. Sagan can do this, Cav can't.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

It would be interesting to see what kind of speed the autobus climbs in the mountains. Even though climbing is my strong suit, relativly speaking, I have a feeling that the autobus would leave me in the dust. 

No doubt Cav is the best bunch sprinter. Sagan is more versatile, especially if there's a slight uphill at or near the finish. I'm digging that it could go either way at this point.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

El Scorcho said:


> Probably never has been said by any cyclist ever but, I wish I could climb as good as Cav.


perhaps, you mean any PRO cyclist perhaps...he's a pro, of course he can climb a gazillion times better than you or i (i presume you're not a pro). as with almost any pro in almost any sport, there's a standard which you and i could only aspire to. 

his performance in the giro certainly improved my impression of his climbing abilities, still compared to sagan, he's out of his depth on the big climbs.


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## anotherguy (Dec 9, 2010)

aclinjury said:


> I'm liking this Sagan more and more everyday. I think he'll take green jersey again.


He really is a joy to watch. I'm kicking a friend of mine who is leaving Paris the day before the Tour roles down the Champs-élysées. She will be there for half the tour but won't catch a single bit of it.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

dnice said:


> perhaps, you mean any PRO cyclist perhaps...he's a pro, of course he can climb a gazillion times better than you or i (i presume you're not a pro). as with almost any pro in almost any sport, there's a standard which you and i could only aspire to.
> 
> his performance in the giro certainly improved my impression of his climbing abilities, still compared to sagan, he's out of his depth on the big climbs.


When I did the Joe Martin uphill TT 2 years ago, I put in my best possible effort at ~5.5w/kg for ~12 minutes on a 2.5mile climb. I was still about 30 seconds slower than the slowest pro. The top guys were about 4-5 minutes faster than my time. Dayum.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

spade2you said:


> When I did the Joe Martin uphill TT 2 years ago, I put in my best possible effort at ~5.5w/kg for ~12 minutes on a 2.5mile climb. I was still about 30 seconds slower than the slowest pro. The top guys were about 4-5 minutes faster than my time. Dayum.


this is why i find pro cycling to be so relatable. you and i can actually ride the roads they ride, get a sense of what their performance levels are relative to ours. your way--actually competing--is another (more painful than i want to subscribe to, of course), but yeah...

i am consistently amazed.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

dnice said:


> this is why i find pro cycling to be so relatable. you and i can actually ride the roads they ride, get a sense of what their performance levels are relative to ours. your way--actually competing--is another (more painful than i want to subscribe to, of course), but yeah...
> 
> i am consistently amazed.


It would be neat if they'd open up the TT stages a day or two before for amateurs. Then again, my times are modest enough at local races most of the time.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

55x11 said:


> You can easily lose green jersey just for not being there in a sprint for 3rd place after breakaway. With amount of climbing they have to do this year, I think Sagan is a shoe-in for green.


You may be right. Alternatively, the number of sprint-ready finishes in the first 10 days could give Cav an insurmountable lead.

Hey, maybe they'll end up on the Champs Elysee leaning on one another as they finish, with Green on the line!

JSR


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## threebikes (Feb 1, 2009)

I can't wait for the race to start.


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## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

El Scorcho said:


> Probably never has been said by any cyclist ever but, I wish I could climb as good as Cav.


Sagan has for sure thought about it. Why do you think he's so confident about taking the green? Sagan is the closest thing we have to Eddy Merckx today.


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## EggSalad (Jan 29, 2013)

JSR said:


> Hey, maybe they'll end up on the Champs Elysee leaning on one another as they finish, with Green on the line!
> 
> JSR


Now that would be epic. Seeing as how most of the time the Tour winner is already determined by then.


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## EggSalad (Jan 29, 2013)

SFTifoso said:


> Sagan is the closest thing we have to Eddy Merckx today.



Oh my.


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## carbonLORD (Aug 2, 2004)

I've become a Sagan fan but Cav all the way. You did see him in this years Giro right? He is leaner, better on climbs and has a supporting team this year. Plus he's back on a Venge.

CAVENGEDISH


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## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

There should be a lot more bunch sprints this year than last year. Just from looking at the profiles, it looks like, 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 21 could have bunch sprint finishes. There are a few stages (like 2 and 16), where Sagan could get points where Cav gets none. But you can probably pencil Cav in for 5 stage wins this year and be considered pessimistic.


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

EggSalad said:


> Now that would be epic. Seeing as how most of the time the Tour winner is already determined by then.


IMHO this is one of the most exciting moment in TdF history. I wish I had a video clip to post. Text and pic from the BBC web site:

View attachment 283179


*Baden Cooke won the Tour de France points competition - but only after race judges turned down an appeal from runner-up Robbie McEwen.* 
The Australian pair bumped shoulders as they battled it out for second place on the final stage and McEwen claimed that Cooke moved into his path. 

But the judges said there was no problem with the sprint and Cooke took the green jersey by a two-point margin. 

"It's great to have won it," said Cooke. "It was a stressful stage with everything being decided in the final sprint but I knew it was just as stressful for McEwen and so stayed cool." 

McEwen, winner of the points competition last year, started the stage with the green jersey, which he had taken off Cooke on Friday. 
Cooke won the first of the stage's two intermediate sprints on the Champs-Elysees to level the score but McEwen retook the lead on the second. 

"I gained confidence that I could win after I won the first sprint and the team did a great job sprint," said Cooke. 

"The second sprint wasn't very good and McEwen beat me but I tried to forget about it and wait for the final sprint." 
France's Jean-Patrick Nazon came through to win the stage but Cooke edged out McEwen by a fraction of a wheel


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## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

A couple of years ago, Cav needed to do well in Paris to win the jersey and avoid having Rojas win the stage. I think he needed to finish in the top 5. Of course, Cav won the stage and the other guy didn't even finish in the top 10. So the final standings (Cav by 62 points), makes it seem like it


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

Funny to read this 3 stages into the tour. Sagan is now in green and Cav is 50 points behind at the moment. Sagan's leadout train seems to be in the front quite a bit with at least 3-4 guys and you hardly see OPQS behind a couple of other teams. Seems that on any given sprint, Cav is using other teams for a leadout, just like he had to last year... Hopefully that will change, I'm really pulling for Cav to win some more stages and get the green again.

Too bad the first stage was such a **** show. Those roadside barriers and Gripel teamed up to destroy the peleton in a series of crashes, ruining all the normal sprinters chances for yellow on the first day.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

Personally, I wouldn't blame Greipel. He was there, but it was a confluence of circumstances that lead to the crash. I don't know if or how badly Cav is hurting, but he's certainly not making it through the climbs like Sagan. 

Those roadside banners were heinous. I don't recall seeing any like that before, just starting abruptly right at the side of the pavement with no warning. Hopefully they get that figured out and fixed/eliminated for the rest of the tour.


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## gusmahler (Apr 7, 2012)

dcorn said:


> Funny to read this 3 stages into the tour. Sagan is now in green and Cav is 50 points behind at the moment. Sagan's leadout train seems to be in the front quite a bit with at least 3-4 guys and you hardly see OPQS behind a couple of other teams.


Well, using stages 2 and 3 to judge Cav is just silly. He was never going to get any points on those stages and he probably won't get any points on stage 7. Cav has 5 stages after that where he has a good chance of getting 15-20 points more than Sagan. Cav blew it today, which really hurts his chances, though. 

OPQ had a crappy lead out today (stage 6), but they worked to perfection on stage 5, so we'll see. Similarly, Cannondale's train has just sucked the last two days.


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