Peter Sagan is now in the lead in this year’s Tour, following his Stage 2 victory in Cherbourg. – By Whit Yost
Image By Lionel Bonaventure/Getty Images
The World Champion was patient on the final climb of the Côte de la Glacerie and the final ramp to the finish line, letting other riders attack while saving his sprint at the last possible moment.
Read: Tour de France Stage 2 Victory for Peter Sagan
The stage win was his first since the 2013 Tour de France, and the yellow jersey that came with it is the first of his career. He also holds the green jersey as the leader of the Tour’s Points Competition, but won’t be wearing as long as he holds yellow.
How long can he stay in yellow?
Quite a while, actually. The next two stages are expected to end in field sprints. Even if pure sprinters like Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish, Etixx—Quick-Step’s Marcel Kittel, and Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel earn time bonuses via stage victories, they lost too much time at the end of Stage 2 to make much of a dent in Sagan’s lead. As for GC riders like Team Sky’s Chris Froome and Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, they’re waiting for the Pyrenees before starting their real battle for the yellow jersey.
Sagan’s greatest threat might be Quintana’s Movistar teammate, Alejandro Valverde. Stage 5 is quite hilly, and Valverde has the skills to drop Sagan on the steep climbs late in the stage. Etixx—Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe (second to Sagan on Stage 2) bears watching as well.
Who’s Losing the Tour?
It’s too soon to say who’s really winning the Tour, but two riders already appear to have lost it (or at least, they haven’t done themselves any favours). Tinkoff’s Alberto Contador crashed hard during Stage 1, then fell again midway through Stage 2. The battered rider lost a minute to his rivals at the end of the stage, and has started the Tour in the worst way possible.
Another pre-race contender, BMC’s Richie Porte, lost 1:45 on Stage 2 thanks to a flat tyre late in the stage. There are still three weeks before Paris, but these two riders have a lot of ground to make-up to get there in yellow.
Also read:
SA Riders To Watch at the 2016 Tour de France
via Bicycling » Tour de France http://ift.tt/29nW6Of
No comments:
Post a Comment