Reece Homfray: Why Peter Sagan win in opening criterium was so huge for Tour Down Under

IT TOOK 20 years and didn’t have any official bearing on the Tour Down Under race itself but Peter Sagan’s victory in Adelaide on Sunday night was the most significant result in the event’s history, writes Reece Homfray.

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IT TOOK 20 years and didn’t have any official bearing on the Tour Down Under race itself but Peter Sagan’s victory in Adelaide on Sunday night was the most significant result in the event’s history.

The world champion’s rainbow jersey had been here seven times before but never saluted until now.

There have been some big names to have won here over the years — Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador, Simon Gerrans, Richie Porte, Andre Greipel, Michael Matthews, Robbie McEwen, Michael Rogers, Stuart O’Grady, but none as big as Sagan.

Peter Sagan shows his delight after winning the Santos Tour Down Under People's Choice Classic on Sunday night. Picture: AFP Photo / Brenton Edwards

He is world cycling’s biggest superstar and at times more like a rock star than an athlete. Next week he is going from Adelaide to the Vatican for a personal meeting with the Pope.

His win in the People’s Choice Classic criterium will have global reach for Sagan is adored by his fans around the world. There are 967,000 of them on Instagram and 821,000 on Twitter following his every move.

Just to have the world champion’s rainbow jersey on the start line of any professional cycling race is seen as an honour.

To have the three-time reigning world champion choose to fly halfway across the world to begin his season at your race is another level again.

Then to have him come out and win on the very first night is beyond any race organiser’s dreams — and the icing on the cake was the world class podium of Greipel and Caleb Ewan which sets the stage for an explosive week ahead.

Lance Armstrong might be the biggest name to have ever raced the Tour Down Under but aside from the fact that he was pedalling a giant lie and took everyone for a ride, he was 37 and past it.

Sagan is at the absolute peak of his powers and at 27 he’s not done yet.

Cadel Evans was here before and after his Tour de France victory in 2011 and produced a win for the ages on Corkscrew Road in 2014. But when his focus was on winning the Tour de France, he wasn’t at the Tour Down Under.

Cadel Evans hurtles down the Corkscrew in the 2014 edition of the Tour Down Under. Picture: Sarah Reed

Sagan however starts the new season with plans to win a sixth green jersey at the Tour de France and defend his world title and has decided to return to Adelaide again.

He left the TDU last year with three second placings and was happy, but somewhat unfulfilled.

It took just one night to change that this week and it clearly meant something to him as well.

As he crossed the finish line on Wakefield Street, Sagan sat up and roared with both arms outstretched. Then he dedicated the win to his wife and baby son back home.

The entire world was watching Sagan and the TDU on Sunday night and the world champion smiled back.

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