Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) rarely gives anything away in a press conference. Any thoughts or concerns about the race that lies before him are often guarded by a few choice quips and a grin. The double world champion was at his elusive best on Saturday afternoon in Roeselare as he sat down with the press ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders.
Asked how he thought the race would play out, Sagan used it as an opportunity to show off his burgeoning list of German words. "That will be big a Kinder überraschung," he replied with a laugh, referring to the chocolate eggs with toys in the centre. "I just learned that," he added.
Sagan declined to be drawn any further on the topic, and when questions moved over to Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing), the man seen by most as his strongest challenger for the Tour of Flanders title, the world champion was equally as clipped in his answer.
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"He's very strong. He's a pretty good rider," was the succinct response. Sagan added that it would not just be about himself and Van Avermaet, as it was earlier in the Classics. "There's a lot of good riders, it's not just me and him in the peloton. We will have to look out for a lot of people and who are the favourites and how the race goes. It's not just about two riders. Then, for sure, we will need a lot of luck going into Sunday."
While it is not the first time that it has happened, it is unusual for a pre-Tour of Flanders press conference to take place the Saturday before the race. Friday is generally the preferred day for riders to meet with the press ahead of the Ronde, although some take place earlier in the week. Sagan, however, has only just returned to Belgium after spending a week at home in Monaco
"I slept, ate, drank and rode on my bike and that's it. What more can I do?" He said of his time at home. "I did it like that last year and two years ago. I think that it is good to get out of the race atmosphere and to relax at home and prepare in your home atmosphere and in the parcours that I have in Monaco. I think it is good. After Flanders, I will stay here until Roubaix."
Body check
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