Teams & Riders Peter Sagan discussion thread.

[maxmartin]

Peter Sagan is the best thing ever happened to Cancellara

 

[hfer07]

I read a several theories of what is his problem:

1. It has something to do with a distance.

Bingo.
On all the classics he's ridden, he seems to lose power dramatically at the end- which is no other than his young engine not fully developed to have what Cancellara & Boone have to finish the job. He'll be fine in two years

What do you think? And what should Sagan do? What trade-offs to do not to became next EBH?

Sagan is way beyond EBH's situation- Eddy's problem is simply SKY- they literally stalled him.

 

[tomorrow]

Bingo.
On all the classics he's ridden, he seems to lose power dramatically at the end- which is no other than his young engine not fully developed to have what Cancellara & Boone have to finish the job. He'll be fine in two years

Yup, and also the cobbles hurt too much too, especially the flatter version of them.

And the more I watch him, the more I start to think, that the incredible early results he has shown are hurting too. He already has the position as Cancellara if isolated in the group, but as already state, he doesn't have "the engine" yet. Nobody will cooperate with him and he's not able to do it alone, or go alone. He's shown he can do that in races around 200km, so he's getting there, but he's not there for the monuments yet.

E.g. this year I think he might have lost the race on Kruisberg, where he took serious turn on the front, which obviously tired the steppers,him too, but not Cancellara and Vanmarcke. And this work proved to be for nothing. If it weren't for it, then the 3 more cannondale guys would just join them sooner and so the gap on Avarmaet would probably by the same. And the save power might have seriously helped on kwaremont, where he was third best behind cancellara and vanmarcke, my parents were visiting so I might miss someone.

For the P-R, when nobody is not cooperating again, he should just hold onto cancellara wheel and see what happens. Him trying to do something alone in such a long race has not proven benefitial. No last year on Flanders, not this year on Flanders. He should try something else.

 

[Netserk]

I don't think the distance is the problem. The problem is all the energy he wastes unnecessarily. He needs to be better to conserve his energy and use it at the right time.

 

[fauniera]

I don't think the distance is the problem. The problem is all the energy he wastes unnecessarily. He needs to be better to conserve his energy and use it at the right time.

But where did he waste energy at San Remo? I think it is the distance. He will get there in a few years.

 

[Netserk]

But where did he waste energy at San Remo? I think it is the distance. He will get there in a few years.

I think he was just simply in worse shape than last year. No year is going to be the same. Last year he was in über beast mode in Strade and extremely impressive in Tirreno. Not nearly as good this year.

And I think he might have used a little extra energy on Cipressa than the rest, but the form bit is the most important one (for msr).

 

[fauniera]

I think he was just simply in worse shape than last year.

Yeah, i had that impression as well, but then he was really strong at E3.

 

[tomorrow]

Yeah, i had that impression as well, but then he was really strong at E3.

still, the e3 is like 30km less i think compared to RvV. If he gains little more tactics and endurance, then he will be able to handle the "top favourite" position.

Actually, I think he might do well in P-R know. He got lectures from tactics yesterday. Also he won't be that marked. One could hardly consider him as favourite there, so he could actually enjoy good race in the shadows of big guns after a very long time. We shall see.

 

[Netserk]

Yeah, i had that impression as well, but then he was really strong at E3.

I don't think he was that strong there. But he didn't waste any energy unnecessarily, and the race unfolded perfectly for him. He was strong, but far from the strongest.

I really don't think the distance is the problem, but only that his form is worse than last year, and that he needs to race smarter.

 

[Arredondo]

Sagan said he wanted to arrive in his best form later this season, so perhaps his preparation wasn't good enough to be in really top shape in the spring.

 

[tomorrow]

I don't think he was that strong there. But he didn't waste any energy unnecessarily, and the race unfolded perfectly for him. He was strong, but far from the strongest.

I really don't think the distance is the problem, but only that his form is worse than last year, and that he needs to race smarter.

well, I think the distance is problem too, but it's only one of the problems with less weight. The main problems is as you say, the form not being that of last year and the tactics. If he avoided only one of these problems yesterday, it would probably be enough for him to hang onto cancellara on kwaremont this year. And that including the endurance, even as small as the problem is. He needed only 5 or 10 more seconds the start of the steeper part of the kwaremont. He seemed to have equal pace to cancellara on the rest of the climb, and although he was suffering on patterberg, cancellara wasn't looking that impressive either there. Perhaps, the fastest on patterberg yesterday was kristoff. Does anybody have the times?

 

[alspacka]

I know this isn't very constructive, but I'm gutted for Sagan after after MSR and yesterday.
I like the cut of his jib. He always seems so laid back, but these results must be really hurting.
Perversely, as Tommorow mentioned, this might help his chances in PR. Teams will be watching Vanmarcke, obviously Cancellara, GVA, maybe Kristoff ahead of him.

 

[Lexman]

still, the e3 is like 30km less i think compared to RvV. If he gains little more tactics and endurance, then he will be able to handle the "top favourite" position.

Actually, I think he might do well in P-R know. He got lectures from tactics yesterday. Also he won't be that marked. One could hardly consider him as favourite there, so he could actually enjoy good race in the shadows of big guns after a very long time. We shall see.

E3 = 213 km
RVV = 259 km

40 km's one hour of racing....

 

[Netserk]

And last year's GW was 233km and he was bossing it. Not to mentioned he was by far the second strongest in RVV last year.

Form (and experience/tactics) is the problem, not distance.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

DOn't think Sagan has a problem with distance. He may have a problem with longer rough cobble stretches, but hes clearly not in the same form this year compared to last. Anyway lets see what he can do in PR.

 

[Volderke]

And last year's GW was 233km and he was bossing it.

Last year's GW was shortened to 183km.

 

[Netserk]

Last year's GW was shortened to 183km.

Lol, I had totally forgotten that

Point still stands with RVV though.

 

[Volderke]

Yes, I also think distance is not the problem.
But I think it's not a bad thing he lost in a more-or-less anonymous way in the RVV (except for that one pull on the Kruisberg). This way, the pressure is a little bit off his shoulders, and he won't be the one in leading groups that everybody is looking at. He is too young to win and carry that pressure for the rest of his career.

But I can see that last year, most rider's form was not there, while he and Cancellara were very good. This year, his form is a little less and the competition is harder. He will need to work a bit, and maybe try out some other races as well (like now PR, maybe next year Amstel).

 

[Flamin]

Where is this guy who claimed before the race that Sagan would fail and that they were rumours about Sagan and a few other teammates being unhappy about the winter training regime? Seems like there might be something to it.

 

[TANK91]

I missed the race yesterday was watching F1 and though ill wait till watch it and just could not resisit typing cyclingnews into my browser but man i was shocked i really thought it would be Sagan's year please tell me he hi doing Roubaix?

I was liking the result though Cancellara is a legend, Boonen did not expect that maybe he does better in Roubaix his window is closing for sure. SVanmarke will doiminate cobbles for years now.

 

[Arredondo]

Chaves nicely in front!

Edit: Wrong thread

 

[personal]

It would be nice for him to have a teammate or two in last parts of long races.

 

[wayahead]

Where is this guy who claimed before the race that Sagan would fail and that they were rumours about Sagan and a few other teammates being unhappy about the winter training regime? Seems like there might be something to it.

I'm not that guy but it seems they really experimented this winter:

"Cannondale recently announced Sebastian Weber as the team's new head coach but he and assistant coaches Mattia Michelusi and Samuel Marangoni have been working with the riders since the end of October, when it previous coach Paolo Slongo left to work with Vincenzo Nibali at Astana. Weber's discipline, eye for detail and scientific approach were easy to see when Cyclingnews visited the team on Monday. The riders were clearly motivated and enjoying the added dimension of competition and rivalry Weber has combined with the use of power data during daily training."

Source:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-cannondale-spices-up-its-winter-training-in-tuscany
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...as-head-coach-for-Cannondale-Pro-Cycling.aspx

 

[coimbrawu]

His weak point is Oude Kwaremont, all his rivals know that. And he was struggling in the cobble section, not smooth on it at all. He still lacks of practicing in cobblestone. He should practice more in Belgium instead of in Cali or Italy if he wants to win in RvV one day. He did in good in RvV 2013 because he was hot at that moment(so I think he just use his talent to race instead of enough hardworking), and Boonen/OPQS was in a mess last year. When they target the race, the situation is more complicated than 2013.

So I think his problem is still motivation. He should do more and be angry to win a monument.

 

[del1962]

Sagan often seems isolated in the big races, either his team need to find better support riders for him or he needs to move to a different team to fulfill his classics ambitions