Teams & Riders Peter Sagan discussion thread.

[Netserk]

He should start off by doing like Greg and race Amstel after Roubaix. No reason for him to not do that. He should then also be able to better evaluate if it makes sense to start in Liege.

 

[Nirvana]

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I don't think it's impossible for him to be competitive in the Ardennes - he is after all a freak - but he won't be competitive at Flèche or Liege (or Lombardia for that matter) with his current physique. Those races are not winnable for anyone lugging around over 80 kg. Just look at what sort of riders have contested them for many years now.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

I think Nibali wants an Italy train going hard from the beginning so after 250 kms he can drop everyone in diesel mode before the last ramp. In this scenario Sagan will be nowhere near the front already with 100 kms to go.

 

[gerundium]

Re:

He should start off by doing like Greg and race Amstel after Roubaix. No reason for him to not do that. He should then also be able to better evaluate if it makes sense to start in Liege.

He knows he can do amstel, he already finished on the podium there before.

 

[gunara]

If Sagan is required to be able to hold it from Milan to Liege, will he still have to do that darn serious American business in May?

 

[Leinster]

As great as it is to see Sagan here in CA every year, I'd really hate to think it was his desire to pad his stage count and grab a burrito/In n Out that was keeping him from contesting Liege.

Is he really up to 80kg? Even if he's determined to win Roubaix before moving on to other things, I can't see what advantage bulk like that could possibly add to a cyclist.

 

[Pennino]

He's definitely not 80kg. Just around 75kg. I think he could win all monuments, but not without many things playing into his hands.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Re:

He's definitely not 80kg. Just around 75kg. I think he could win all monuments, but not without many things playing into his hands.

In the same interview he said he's 78-79 when he's in top shape.

 

[Leinster]

Re:

He's definitely not 80kg. Just around 75kg. I think he could win all monuments, but not without many things playing into his hands.

I don't think anyone wins Roubaix without a big dose of good fortune. Or at least, they don't win it with the big helpings of misfortune that have characterised a lot of Sagan's attempts there.

He'd have to slim down a lot to ever win some of the recent editions of Lombardia, but if Liege moves the finish back to, well, Liege, he might be better suited to that than to the ramp at the tail in Ans.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

I think Nibali wants an Italy train going hard from the beginning so after 250 kms he can drop everyone in diesel mode before the last ramp. In this scenario Sagan will be nowhere near the front already with 100 kms to go.

I can't see a scenario where Nibali drops everyone on the climbs. You will have Valverde, Landa, Quintana, Uran, Chaves, Bardet, Pinot in that race. Heck even Froome will be there. I doubt a year-older Nibali will drop all those guys. Not that I think he can't win, though...

 

[Nirvana]

In normal circustances probably there are at least a dozen of riders that he can't drop but after 250 kms of hard racing it's different, Nibali becomes stronger than riders usually better than him when is an hard and long race.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

Short climbs? 7 times 7km at 6%. Strong riders, climbers, will drop like flies long before the murito. Innsbruck was designed to take the rainbow jersey off Sagan.

 

[glassmoon]

Re: Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

Short climbs? 7 times 7km at 6%. Strong riders, climbers, will drop like flies long before the murito. Innsbruck was designed to take the rainbow jersey off Sagan.

not if they will all be waiting till last climb to actually start racing
i've learned to not underestimate peloton collective stupidity so "everything's possible" :idea:

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: Re:

I don't think he would have any problems in Ardennes, i always thought that he has more chances in Liege than in Roubaix, flat cobbles don't suit him well like Flanders walls.

Anyway Insbruck will be way too hard for him, i think his actual limit could be an easy Lombardia. If is true that now he's 80 kilos (as he said) he's 7/8 kilos heavyer than his Cannondale and also Tinkoff days so we can't expect anymore climbing performances like 2015 Mt. Baldy.

It remains to be seen. I have always thought that he can win ALL the monuments. The next RRWC? It depends on how it's raced. The climbs are real, but short. Downhill and flat to the finish. It's like Dumoulin in a GT...if you don't put him away in the climbs and keep racing hard, he'll get ya'...

Short climbs? 7 times 7km at 6%. Strong riders, climbers, will drop like flies long before the murito. Innsbruck was designed to take the rainbow jersey off Sagan.

Yes. It looks so. But it would be so much fun if he wins it. I wonder what kind of parkour would they be preparing for next WC

 

[Netserk]

Would be fun to see him drop on the climb most laps, only to bridge on the descent afterwards. Depending on how easy it'd be to move up in the bunch, it could save him some energy for the final.

 

[SKSemtex]

I personly think he will go for it. It is kind of a challenge he is looking for. The same as to ride MTB in OG. But now he will have much more time for preparation.

He does not have to chase the green to break the record. So he can start his "climbing training" right after PR. If he wins the Innsbruck, he can retire.

 

[Keram]

His interwiev doesn't make sense actually. He is telling everything is possible at Insbruck but he doesnt have a chance in LBL and Lombardia? Actually at Lombardia he has lot more chance that in Insbruck and if Bling was four at LBL he can be competitive as well. But I dont think he should go to WC next year. He risks that he will mess up himself like he messed his sprinting in Canondale. But slovak cycling is so lame that he as a sprinter and classic guy is still slovak best climber so he can go

 

[Red Rick]

I'm sure he'll try for Innsbruck, mostly because there's big racing he's sacrificing his chances for by trying to improve his climbing. On the other hand, if he sacrifices his sprint a bit he'll have major issues with Kwiatkowski

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I'm sure he'll try for Innsbruck, mostly because there's big racing he's sacrificing his chances for by trying to improve his climbing. On the other hand, if he sacrifices his sprint a bit he'll have major issues with Kwiatkowski

Pretty sure it will be too hard for Kwito as well unless he is in godlike TdF-shape. Which he obviously had big troubles being after two big peaks. I think Giro riders who stagehunt in the Vuelta will be the best prepared ones - Aru, Pinot, Chaves..

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

I'm sure he'll try for Innsbruck, mostly because there's big racing he's sacrificing his chances for by trying to improve his climbing. On the other hand, if he sacrifices his sprint a bit he'll have major issues with Kwiatkowski

Pretty sure it will be too hard for Kwito as well unless he is in godlike TdF-shape. Which he obviously had big troubles being after two big peaks. I think Giro riders who stagehunt in the Vuelta will be the best prepared ones - Aru, Pinot, Chaves..

That's a good point. Kwiatkowski will have to slave away in the Tour. Many of the top climbers will have to be on a 2nd peak. Valverde would be smart to forego the GC in the Tour.

 

[Durden93]

This thread is delightfully ludicrous. Yeah, Sagan will compromise his chances in the spring classics for liege or world's when he only has one monument.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

In normal circustances probably there are at least a dozen of riders that he can't drop but after 250 kms of hard racing it's different, Nibali becomes stronger than riders usually better than him when is an hard and long race.

Like in Rio? GVA was still there. And won. So Sagan can win.

 

[Durden93]

Re: Re:

In normal circustances probably there are at least a dozen of riders that he can't drop but after 250 kms of hard racing it's different, Nibali becomes stronger than riders usually better than him when is an hard and long race.

Like in Rio? GVA was still there. And won. So Sagan can win.

But there were 15km of flat after the final climb in Rio, that won't be the case in Innsbruck. GVA attacked 5km from the finish, so he had 10km, to rest. Also, Rio was unique. If Nibali and Henao hadn't crashed you would have 3 riders working instead of one. They could've pushed on until a few kms to go and then have played about when it was in sure. It really is difficult for one rider to hold their own on the flat.