The high mountains will be a moment of truth for Alex Peters, as the Tour de l'Avenir climbs some iconic ascents from Thursday. "He will relish the 'cols' and you will see who is the real Alex," his coach Neil Martin tells Cyclingnews.
The leader of the U23 Team of Great Britain will be a stagiaire with Team Sky this season (and a full-time team member from 2016). He has certainly done well on some UCI races like the An Post Rás (second on GC last year) and the Tour de Bretagne (second overall and stage winner this year), but he remains quite unknown and has no big records in the very hilly races.
However, Peters is ambitious for the "mini-Tour de France", aiming to claim final victory. "I can be top five, perhaps in the top three, perhaps I can win," he says in his quiet tone, without a hint of arrogance.
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At first, these expectations seem too big for the 21-year-old climber who has never fought against riders such as Colombian Sebastian Henao (a member of Team Sky), Italian Simone Petilli (Lampre Merida in 2016) or Belgian Laurens De Plus (neo-pro with Etixx next year). He also followed a different preparation than his adversaries, training in the Geraneia mountains, Greece, while the latest explored some famous passes in the French and Italian Alps. All many points, he looks different than them. But according to his character and unconventional background, Peters will be a strong dark horse of the 2015 Tour de l'Avenir.
"Alex is following his own path but he could be one of the best talents Britain has produced for a long time," warns Martin.
A former pro rider in the '80s, Dan Martin's father met Alex Peters two years ago in this Mecca of cycling called Girona. “We had a bike ride together and I liked him right from day one," his sports director recalls. "Alex has a very interesting route, let's say 'old fashion'..."
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