Peter Sagan ready to put in hard work in training ahead of Tour Down Under

The Tour Down Under’s flamboyant headline act Peter Sagan arrived in Adelaide on Friday night, refreshed from a skiing break over the festive season.

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The Tour Down Under’s flamboyant headline act Peter Sagan touched down in Adelaide on Friday night, refreshed from a skiing break over the festive season.

The 28-year-old Slokavian three-time UCI world champion and last year’s Paris-Roubaix winner took a sabbatical with his family.

Sagan posted a video on Twitter showing off his skiing skills before meeting his BORA-hansgrohe teammates in Monaco for the long journey to Adelaide via Singapore and Amsterdam.

“Oh yeah I was in Austria only for the New Year, I spent three days with my family and brothers and father and then we ski,’’ Sagan said at Adelaide Airport.

“It was good, but I’m here mostly for training and stuff like that but if I can catch some stages (wins) like last year or something like that I’m going to be happy but it’s not going to be easy.”

Sagan was on the long haul flight to Adelaide with Italian sprint gun Elia Viviani.

The Deceuninck-Quick-Step Rio 2016 Olympic Games omnium gold medallist is looming to be Sagan’s biggest rival throughout 2019 after a break out 2018 for the Italian.

Viviani, 29, enjoyed his best season on the road starting with a stage 3 win at the Tour Down Under before claiming four stages of the Giro D’Italia, the points classification at that tour, the Dubai Tour, Abu Dhabi Tour and the Adriatica Ionica Race

After 82 days of racing and 13,005 km in the saddle in 2018 Sagan, the reigning Paris-Roubaix champion is expecting Viviani to be in form at the Tour Down Under.

“I think he will be getting stronger and stronger and I’ll just race day by day,’’ Sagan said.

“We’re here for 10 or 11 days and I think we’re going to get used to heat it will be OK (before stage 1 commences from North Adelaide on January 15).”

Tour Down Under's headlining act Peter Sagan speaks to the media on his arrival at Adelaide Airport for his third TDU race. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

With Sagan destined to attract all the attention in SA, Viviani says the Slovakian is a good friend and should never be underestimated even at 70 per cent of his power.

Viviani said the pair had training rides in Monaco before making the trek to SA where they were reacquainted on the long haul flight to SA.

However he hopes to have a better year than 2018 where the Italian claimed 18 victories.

Viviani’s team will also take a good hard look at Sagan’s team strategies using the Tour Down Under as a solid foundation to analyse tactics before the European spring classics.

Viviani is here for a fourth time.

“Last year was a really nice experience to start the season we want to try to copy the last season because it was an amazing one for me,’’ Viviani said.

“It was a good start in Australia with one stage win at the Tour Down Under and a good second place at the Cadel Evans’ Great Ocean Road race.

“It was a good month in hot conditions and we think it’s the best way to start the season and then go to the classics and all the big goals for the season.”

Viviani has been upgraded to Legends Night status after veteran Italian superstar Mario Cipollini pulled out of appearing at the coveted race for family reasons on Friday.

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