PETER SAGAN (Bora-Hansgrohe) said he still has some way to go to reach the form he needs ahead of next month’s Tour de France.
Following the Tour de Suisse, where he won a stage and took the points jersey, Sagan said that he was not yet in top shape for the Grand Tour.
Sagan will be looking for a record-equalling sixth points classification victory this summer to bring him level with Erik Zabel. The three-time world champion looked set to do that last season but was disqualified in Stage 4 after he was deemed to have caused Mark Cavendish to crash in the sprint finish.
“I have a lot of hard work to do and I hope my legs are not at the top, because I need some improvement before the Tour de France,” Sagan said after the final stage, according to Slovakian web site aktuality.sk.
Sagan came into the Tour de Suisse after a monthlong break from racing following the Tour of California, after which he spent time at altitude.
Following a fourth place in the team time trial, Sagan went on to win Stage 2 ahead of Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors), a record-extending 16th win at the Swiss race. While Sagan was unable to add to the tally over the remaining week, the Slovakian went out swinging with an aggressive approach to the stages. He would take three more top 3 finishes, which proved enough for him to seal his seventh win in that particular competition.
Sagan will now turn his focus to the Slovakian national championships this weekend, which he won five times in a row between 2011 and 2015, before the Tour de France begins in Noirmoutier-en-l’Île on July 7.
“It’s good to finish the Tour de Suisse with two records—seven times winner of the points leader jersey and a total of 16 stage victories,” Sagan wrote on his own Facebook page.
“This year’s edition was probably one of the best, with an excellent organization, lots of spectators in every city and nice weather. It’s good to see this race growing and stepping up on all levels. As for me, racing continues with the Slovak National Championship next weekend and then, of course, Le Tour de France.”
DUMOULIN SETS TARGET
TOM DUMOULIN (Sunweb) has confirmed that he will target the general classification at the Tour de France.
The Dutchman was initially coy about his July objectives after placing second overall at last month’s Giro d’Italia, but he told De Telegraaf that he has recovered well from his efforts in Italy.
After the Giro d’Italia, I consciously took more rest than I would normally do,” Dumoulin told De Telegraaf. “For the first nine days, I hardly even touched the bike. I have never been so fresh two weeks after a Grand Tour.”
Throughout the early part of the season, Dumoulin stressed that a decision on his Tour participation would only be taken after the Giro, but his reconnaissance of the cobbled stage of the Grande Boucle in April was a firm indication of his plans.
“I had in mind since the winter that I really wanted to ride the double,” Dumoulin said. “But you never know what will happen in the Giro. For that reason, I always thought that I would really make the decision after that race.”
By the time he finished the Giro in second place behind Chris Froome, Dumoulin was already certain of his participation in the Tour.
On the night the Giro concluded in Rome, he informed the Sunweb team of his intention to line out in France, with the news made public the following week.
“The Giro actually went very well from start to finish, and I did not see anything crazy in those weeks,” Dumoulin said. “The choice to ride the Tour was actually quite simple for me.”
At the Tour, Dumoulin will lead a strong Sunweb team that also includes Wilco Kelderman, who placed fourth at last year’s Vuelta a España, and Michael Matthews, who won the green jersey at last year’s Tour.
With Chris Froome’s salbutamol case unlikely to be resolved before July 7, Dumoulin’s opponents look set to include the man who beat him to the Giro. It will be Dumoulin’s first Tour appearance since he won two stages in 2016, and his first time to target the general classification in the race.
No Dutch rider has won the Tour since Joop Zoetemelk in 1980, and no Dutch rider has so much as worn the yellow jersey since Erik Breukink in 1989. 2018, meanwhile, marks the 50th anniversary of Jan Janssen becoming the first Dutch Tour champion.
“If things go badly in the Tour, it’s nice that I know that I have shown myself well in the Giro. I am very happy and proud of my performance in that race,” Dumoulin said. “That feeling, nobody can take from me. Whatever happens in the Tour, I will stay happy with that.”
Not that Dumoulin is viewing the Tour simply as a bonus. He was speaking with De Telegraaf during a pre-Tour training camp in the high Alps.
“I’ll be full-on for the overall at the Tour,” Dumoulin said. “I know it’s going to be a physical and mental fight. It will once again become a tough fight. I’m not going to be riding there [satisfied] with the idea that I have already done a good Tour. I am going to do everything to finish high up at the Tour too.”
PORTE HAS MOMENTUM
RICHIE PORTE (BMC) took the biggest win of his professional career recently as he wrapped up the general classification at the Tour de Suisse, his final race before the Tour de France.
And he vowed to improve his form at July’s Grand Tour.
The Australian had an indifferent spring but after finishing third at the Tour de Romandie in April he found another gear at the Tour de Suisse, winning the event from Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar).
“This was a big goal. Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s a very important race and I think it’s disrespectful to say it’s a ‘lead in’ race for the Tour de France as it means a lot to win it. It’s such a prestigious race,” Porte said in a press release on Sunday.
“So, I think going forward into the Tour de France, it’s a good sign to win here. It would have been nice to have won a stage here and maybe if the breakaway hadn’t stayed away on Thursday’s stage, I would have won one but, at the end of the day, to win the general classification was the big goal and I’m still happy with the victory. I’m ready for the Tour de France. I did a good race here. I’m not at the top of my form just yet so I am excited for July.”
BMC Racing won the team time trial at the start of the race with Stefan Küng leading until Stage 5, when Porte moved into the yellow jersey. Quintana put Porte under pressure and won the mountaintop finish at Arosa on Stage 7 before Porte extended his advantage during the final time trial on Sunday.
“It hasn’t been an easy week but the guys did a fantastic job. We really had our work cut out for us and we didn’t get a lot of help from the other teams. I was a little bit worried coming into today about guys like [Wilco] Kelderman but I’m happy with the time we put into them at the start of the race. I think it was a fantastic week.”
Porte, 33, heads into the Tour de France with his confidence high. BMC Racing will center their race ambitions around the Australian, who is bidding to end Chris Froome’s run of domination.
“Before this race, I hadn’t raced since Tour de Romandie. I was at home for the birth of my son two weeks ago and I’ve only had one night at home with him so, I think it’s great for me to get to go home for a bit of time before a training camp and then hopefully I’ll be better at the Tour de France.” Cyclingnews