Sagan

[Fixed]

Has anyone been following this kid
He make cannondale look even better
I don't think he can beat Cav. Yet but he might surprise
he is very clever versatile racer IMHO
I am a fan :)

[majorpat]

Clever is an understatment, Fixed. This kid has been wiping folks off the map this year. Didn't he win every stage in Cali? Well, not all of them but more than one. He seems like more than a sprinter to me, a real rouleur who can win in a variety of scenarios. I also am a fan.

Pat

[verticaldoug]

Listening to yesterday's recast on Versus, Paul and Phil said he has won 9 of his last 14 stages. The last person to do that was Eddie.

The stage 6 TdS win where he literally scraped along the barrier to not get squeezed out was truly impressive bike handling.

[67-59]

Clever is an understatment, Fixed. This kid has been wiping folks off the map this year. Didn't he win every stage in Cali? Well, not all of them but more than one. He seems like more than a sprinter to me, a real rouleur who can win in a variety of scenarios. I also am a fan.

Pat

Yeah, he was amazing in Cal. I believe he won every sprint stage (5 of the 8 stages?). Pretty awesome, even though Cav wasn't there.

[laupsi]

I was hoping Sagan could be a Big Mig in disguise but now I'm doubtful. My logic was that if he shed a few lbs/kilos he could compete in the hills but after really paying attn to him in the TOC and TOS I have to say he is all muscle and isn't likely to benefit from any weight loss.

[nebraskacycling]

Yeah, he was amazing in Cal. I believe he won every sprint stage (5 of the 8 stages?). Pretty awesome, even though Cav wasn't there.

He missed one of the sprint stages by about 20 seconds because they didn't catch the breakaway remnant. He still sprinted for second though. OP we will see how long he can hang once he races against Cav and company.

[cfox]

Sagan is awesome. He is a much, much more versatile rider than Cav. He can win races than Cav won't even contest. I'm sure Cav could smoke him with a proper train on a flat, wide finish, but that's about it. He's got a serious uphill kick to rival Purito and Phil. He was a good 'cross racer as well and has amazing bike handling/descending skills.

[Keith A]

Yep Sagan is certainly one to watch and it will make an interesting TdF this year with him and Cav. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also seems like he does okay in the hilly terrain...maybe not on the pure climber stages, but I think he can get over the bumps better than Cav and some of the other sprinters.

Oh yeah...he does have some mad bike skills. Not only did he scrape against the barriers in stage six, but in one of the early stages he was sliding in the final corner and unclipped his inside foot to steady himself, but then clipped right back in without hardly missing a beat and went on to win the stage.

Actually, it looks like it was about the 3rd corner before the finish on stage 3...
http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/nbcsports/?title=Last+Km+of+Stage+3&dashboard=tour-de-suisse&id=47774057,33399756&yr=2012

They highlight this incident at 41:45 in this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ1J1GhKEKw

[ultraman6970]

The guy pretty much rides everywhere but in long climbs with the climbers. But he will catch going down hill. I think Cav calls him Kamikaze sagan. They have crashed together I believe.

[Fixed]

The best young all rounder riding now ?
Cheers

[Elefantino]

With Boonen skipping the Tour, I hope Sagan provides Cav some much-needed competition.

It will be interesting to see if the Manxman can win without a huge Sky train, because other than Stannard and Eisel, everybody else will be protecting Wiggo.

[joep2517]

I've been watching him for the past year or so - when he first came on the scene with Cannondale. They say he's bulked up a little for strength in the sprints - so I don't think he'll be an all-around rider.

At the TOC, I gained some extra respect for the guy. He did two small things that just showed me that he's a pretty good guy. While in TT he took his waterbottle and tossed it to a family on the side of the road and at end of the TT he was giving a thumbs up to the fans. He didn't need to do either but he did and that shows (at this time) he isn't full of himself.

[572cv]

The most interesting Sagan since Carl...:) A rising star, as it were.