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Teams & Riders Peter Sagan discussion thread.

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IMO QS would be a great fit for Sagan. Less pressure, better support. The problem for him is that he hasn't proven he can be a big winner again. Hope that changes soon but until then he's going to be viewed with a bit of skepticism. There's a new generation who are frankly stronger right now.
And it'll be great for DQS too as Specialized will still pay his salary... or at least a significant chunk of it.
 
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Other than "pressure" from Specialized, I can't see why he would want to go to DQS.

The more I think about it, the more I think that JV/EF needs to figure out how to get this guys back on a Cannondale! Granted, that's a good move for JV/EF, but not necessarily for PS. He would be their star though, and maybe pay him what he wants.
I'd really like to see Peter get the US lower pressure vibe back and run with it. He's in the start of prime racing age and if motivated could pretty much set a tone anywhere, anytime. EF may be the perfect advertising market venue for Specialized but can't say who painful it is shedding Cannondale. Sheeeyut. He's won aTour of Cal stage at their storefront door on a Cannondale.....
 
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One thing I don't understand: When Specialized is willing to still pay most of his salary, why is Denk hesitating? Maybe they don't pay as much as we think? Or Bora just want to fully become a GC team.
Maybe he just doesn't fit their strategy anymore. He also has his brother with him and his stuff (DS, etc.) as a condition to join the team. Wonder if that would also be the case with his eventual transfer to DQS.
 
How much does S really pay? I doubt its a "significant" part.
Of course I don't know any specifics about his contract but this was always speculated in the media as a "good part of it (wage)". He's never denied it, nor has the team.
Other aspect of his transfer would be his staff (DS Valach, souniers) and his brother Juraj. They were always a part of the deal when changing the teams... So I'd guess the new team will have to find a way to employ those people too - at least his bro as a rider and Jan Valach as a DS.
 
Yeah, the Quickstep effect is real...
My main question is if Sagan is enough of a teamplayer, is he fine with being one of multiple options? Some of his teammates might end up winning more big races than him because he's still there in the final.
I'd think Sagan is enough of a team player but the team is already crowded. As Glassmoon pointed out before: PS comes with an entourage. How much of that group Sagan can afford to carry may be the definition of his upcoming career.
 
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Yeah, the Quickstep effect is real...
My main question is if Sagan is enough of a teamplayer, is he fine with being one of multiple options? Some of his teammates might end up winning more big races than him because he's still there in the final.
To be fair Gilbert has never been the biggest teamplayer either. Even when he rode for Quickstep he often wasn't. But that didn't turn out too shabby for either Gilbert or Quickstep.
 
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Sagan is a team player in some ways. For example, he was the prime reason why Kreuziger ended in the top 10 in the 2016 Tour when Sagan drove a mountain break-away on his own for a very long time which resulted in Kreuziger gaining a sufficient amount of time as to enter the top 10. But I also think there is a reason why he has never been on a team with a rider who could potentially co-captain with him in the classics.
 
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He's probably shown himself as team player for GC rider, but it's still hard to see him share leadership with another or - in QS case - several riders for some objective, or even to picture clearly where he will be in the pecking order at this stage of his career. I imagine it to be more awkward than Gilbert situation.
The guy that help Moser win SB was not a guy who see himself as three time World Champion, monuments winner, and everything Peter Sagan has become since then, good or bad.
 
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If Alaphilippe can help , right now when he's one of the top riders in the world, I can't see what's the problem with Sagan to help. Lefevre is an old fox, he knows how to work with biggest riders, like Museeuw, Bettini, Boonen, Cav to name a few... He'll handle Sagan, believe me..
Yep I agree with this.
Sagan would benefit a lot from riding in such a strong team. His chances of winning a Monument would increase instantly.
 
Sagan + DQS would be the biggest move he could make in terms of getting back on the top step in the monuments.

He has never truly had a team mate in the biggest races also capable of winning and being taken seriously by rival teams. Now that he can’t rely on brute force and power to win a classic he needs that help and it would be worth taking a lower salary for 2 years to fill in the few remaining gaps in his palmares.
 

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