Three-time world champion Peter Sagan has a simple plan for the Tour Down Under
HE’S THE three-time reigning world champion but Peter Sagan insists his team Bora-Hansgrohe is in Adelaide to support Aussie Jay McCarthy’s ochre jersey ambitions at the Tour Down Under this week.
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HE’S THE three-time reigning world champion but Peter Sagan insists his team Bora-Hansgrohe is in Adelaide to support Aussie Jay McCarthy’s ochre jersey ambitions at the Tour Down Under this week.
The Slovakian superstar was described by his team-mates as the world’s best lead-out man last year when he shelved his personal ambitions to help McCarthy and Sam Bennett in the first race of the season.
He still managed three second-placings behind Caleb Ewan while McCarthy finished third overall.
“It’s a pleasure for me to hear I am the best lead-out man,” Sagan said on Saturday.
“For sure we are here for Jay, and also for Sam Bennett and we will see what we can do.
“We are a stronger team than last year ... Why am I here? Well, I hope it’s a good preparation, it’s time to take some race kilometres and we trained well the last 10 days so now the season is starting.”
The 133-rider field for the TDU which starts on Sunday night includes seven former winners led by reigning champion Richie Porte and four-time winner Simon Gerrans who have joined forces at BMC.
But the biggest international name is Sagan who last year completed the rainbow jersey ‘Three Pete’.
The TDU holds sentimental value to Sagan given it was his first ever WorldTour race in 2010.
“It was a really nice race for me, the first WorldTour race in my life, I met a lot of famous riders here for the first time and it was a nice experience,” he said.
“It’s nice because it’s quite a calm race, we are all in the same hotel, nice weather, it’s kind of a no-stress race, it’s very nice.”
Race director Mike Turtur says he remembers Sagan racing in Adelaide in 2010 but never dreamt he would go on to become the biggest name in the sport.
“I remember when he crashed into Hahndorf (in 2010), he was having some stitches in his arm,” Turtur said.
“As I do, I go to check on riders if there is a crash, and I walked past and Peter grabbed me on the arm and said ‘I start tomorrow’.
“I said ‘that’s not my choice, that’s yours’, but I thought to myself ‘this young bloke has a bit of go because he wants to make sure the organisers know he wants to start tomorrow’.
“And now all these years later he’s the (three-time) world champion.”
Defending champion Porte rode to Uraidla yesterday to scout the new finish of Stage 4 which includes a climb up Norton Summit.
“I think there will be a select few guys there and for our team it could be good for someone like Rohan Dennis or Simon Gerrans as well, I still think the hardest stage will be Willunga on Saturday,” Porte said.
Originally published as Three-time world champion Peter Sagan has a simple plan for the Tour Down Under