When he announced he would be riding Paris-Roubaix in 2014, Peter Sagan ambitiously targeted a clean sweep of the cobbled Classics, a la Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) in 2012.
After ticking off the first race on his hit list by winning at E3 Harelbeke from the break, Sagan’s odds of doing just that shortened significantly, but Gent-Wevelgem saw the Slovak beaten by a rider with a bigger sprint than his.
Winner by a country mile in 2013 – such a distance that he wheelied over the finish line – Sagan was reminded once again that he is always in danger if it comes to a sprint.
Sagan has recorded wins at E3-Harelbeke, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Oman so far this season, but he has also registered a run of near-misses (with seven other visits to the podium), and while second and third places shouldn’t be scoffed at, the Cannondale rider can’t always rely on his fast finish if it comes down to a bunch gallop.
