Friday, 29 June 2018

The return of Peter Sagan: A closer look at Bora-Hansgrohe's Tour de France team

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Peter Sagan's unfortunate disqualification from last year's Tour de France means that the Slovakian will have the bit between his teeth to try to win stages and reclaim the green jersey. That disqualification cost him dear: it meant being unable to make it six years in a row that he won the jersey, so he can't waste any time if he wants to rack up five wins in a row again, and then exceed it.

If it looks to be all about Sagan, that's because it is. Oh, and Rafal Majka. The 2014 and 2016 'King of the Mountains' winner will be looking to improve drastically on his 27th overall at the 2016 Tour, but whether Majka can do that with minimal climbing support remains to be seen. Gregor Mühlberger and Pawel Poljanski will be doing their best. Winning another KoM title is well within reach, however, and if Majka's attack on the GC fails to ignite, that and stage wins will no doubt keep him and the team happy, especially if they can claim a few stage wins through Sagan, too.

Sagan will have the full support of the other members of the squad – Maciej Bodnar, Marcus Burghardt, Daniel Oss and Lukas Pöstlberger – and no doubt from Mühlberger, Poljanski and Majka, too, on any hillier stages on which he's chasing green-jersey points, or indeed stage wins.

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It's a harmonious, hard-working squad that should produce a stage victory or two, and quite likely bag the green jersey for Sagan. Stages are most likely from Sagan and Majka, of course, but don't discount Pöstlberger on the more undulating days, or even Oss or Burghardt for stage 9 from Arras to Roubaix on the cobbles – if Sagan gives them the green light. A high overall finish for Majka will be a bonus.

Rafal Majka and his Bora-Hansgrohe teammates in the lead group

Bora-Hansgrohe's Tour de France team

Name: Peter Sagan
Position: Team leader/sprinter
Nationality: Slovakia
Age: 28
Experience: Six Tours started, five points jerseys, eight stage wins

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com



via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-return-of-peter-sagan-a-closer-look-at-bora-hansgrohes-tour-de-france-team

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