Who is Peter Sagan? He’s the rider in the green jersey and the rainbow bands, the one who does the wheelies, the videos and more. Yet for all the iconic images and animated GIFs the person behind them seems elusive so here’s his autobiography with 260 pages to explain more.
Sagan
Tour de France Green Jersey Contenders
Peter Sagan looks like an obvious contender to win the points competition. In recent years the sight of him in the green jersey has become as much a cliché of the Tour de France as images of the peloton riding past a field of sunflowers. If he wins his sixth green jersey he will equal the record set by Erik Zabel in 2001.
Sagan has competition, a route that doesn’t help him as much as usual and a points scale tilted against him. Here’s a closer look at the competition, the points system and the sprinters as Dylan Groenwegen and Fernando Gaviria as the new generation looking to take on the establishment.
Ronde Van Vlaanderen Preview
It’s Quick Step versus the peloton this Sunday as the home team take on all comers, including Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet and Sep Vanmarcke. It’s live on TV from start to finish and in front of an estimated million of roadside fans, an event of national importance to the Belgians.
Lowlights of 2017
Having picked five highlights of the year, a scan of some of this year’s lowlights. In no particular order here are a few boos, hisses, gripes and cock-ups…
The Moment The World Championships Were Won
267.5km and a repeat win for Peter Sagan. He bided his time launched a long sprint and timed his throw to the line to win by centimetres. This was a win earned in the final seconds but also built on the foundation of recent years. With two titles already there was no need to gamble with attacks or chase too many rivals, Sagan could play the percentages when others were chasing rainbows.
World Championships Road Race Preview
Three times in a row for Peter Sagan? He’s in form, he’s versatile and he’s got nothing to lose so it makes sense. But there’s a deep field and course that makes the rainbow jersey accessible to many pretenders including sprinters, classics contenders and some of the Vuelta’s recent heroes too.
Who Will Win The Green Jersey?
Peter Sagan? Casual followers of the sport who tune in for the Tour de France rather than the whole season can be forgiven for thinking Sagan’s team kit is green given spends he spends most of July in the maillot vert and he’s won it five times in a row.
So another verdant victory? Probably but this year’s route offers more stages to the pure sprinters than usual allowing a dominant sprinter to rack up points ahead of a consistent Sagan. Here’s a look at the competition, the points scale, the stages and the likely challengers for the green jersey and the sprint stages.
Who Will Win The Green Jersey?
A trick question? Peter Sagan was such a convincing winner of the Tour de France points competition last year that it’s hard to imagine anyone else winning. He’s taken the green jersey home four years in a row and even when they changed the rules to tilt the competition against him last year he still won.
So why ask the question? Because it’s still worth posing and also gives us the chance to assess his rivals. Above all if last year’s rule tweak was anti-Sagan, this year’s route is too. Here’s a closer look at the competition from the points scale to the likely scorers.
Paris-Roubaix Preview
The best for last. The cobbled classics come to an end this Sunday in the Roubaix velodrome. Former race director Jacques Goddet described this race as “the last act of madness”, the decision to take tiny farm tracks with their rudimentary cobbles and use them in a major race. What will Sunday bring: a double for Sagan, a conclusion for Cancellara, a breakthrough for Vanmarke or another story? You’ll be able to see it all yourself as the race is going to be broadcast live from start to finish, a first.
The Moment The Tour of Flanders Was Won
Michał Kwiatkowski has attacked after the top of the Taaienberg with 33km to go, Peter Sagan followed immediately and Sep Vanmarcke bridged across moments later. A long range move with both Sagan and Vanmarcke taking a big risk given they had no team mates behind but they were going to stay away. This was the moment the race was won.