Peter Sagan – got heart, and green
Peter Sagan – got heart, and green
Peter Sagan pounded his chest as he crossed in second place for the fifth time in this Tour de France, but this was not a near-miss like the others.
Given the nature of the route, the fact he had to mark moves himself on the climb and then descend so aggressively, it was a hard-fought second place.
The Slovakian champion certainly, as the gesture suggested, got heart – and he also, almost certainly has the green jersey to boot.
Andre Greipel’s stage 15 win meant the race for green appeared to going to the wire, but Sagan had other ideas – getting in the breakaway for the third stage in a row.
It has meant maximum intermediate sprint points on each occasion and his second place on stage 16 means his lead is now just shy of 90 points.
The reworking of the points classification rules, and how points are awarded, was designed to make it tougher for Sagan, but he has responded magnificently.
Love him or loathe him – and he certainly splits opinions – this has been a green jersey well fought for.
A stage win continues to elude him – despite his now five second-place finishes – but in every other respect Sagan has been very impressive, particularly when you consider he has had to do it alone for the most part.