Interview – Peter Sagan talks Flanders

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Paul Burgoine attends the press conference with Peter Sagan ahead of the Monument that is Tour of Flanders

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Interview – Peter Sagan talks Flanders

“It’s not a mystery that the Ronde is one of my favorite races, and that I am here to try to win it,” said Peter, who placed second at the Ronde in 2013 and fifth in 2012. “I worked to face this event at my top condition and I think I have it.”

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“I had good feeling and good results on the cobbles during past races. I know also my team is motivated and on form too. We have everything we need to be at the start without any doubts…just certainties.

“Today, I’ll ride the final 55 km of the race with Oscar and Alan to memorize its key moments. Right now, I can’t point out a specific moment where the race will explode, but this is the first time we’ll ride the Oude Kwaremont. I think also the race is harder than 2013 and open; every attack could be interesting.

“Media talks about Cancellara, Boonen, and me as the favorites, but I’m not sure we can limit the contenders group so much. Many other riders can be key players as well, especially if they are able to be in the finale. The tactical aspect of the race will be a tricky. OmegaPharma-QucikStep, for example, has multiple chances to search for the win and this means a more open finale.

“I’m very relaxed. Of course I feel the excitement growing in view of such an important race, but I don’t feel pressure. The victory is not a must, and I don’t have to prove anything. If someone is stronger than me, I’ll be the first to recognize it. My outlook hasn’t changed because of the event – I’ll be happy and satisfied if I am able to do my best. I hope that luck will be on my side,” commented Sagan.

What kind of training have you done in the past week?
PS “I did De Panne yesterday so I had a rest day then today, the last few kilometres of Flanders but nothing special, I done the last 60k”

What do you think of the new parcours?
PS “the climbs I know from the previous races, it will be hard. Today I was just working out how much recovery between climbs. I think it’s harder than last year, for sure the last 50k is harder. When we go fast, it is hard when we don’t, it’s easy yes”

Tom Boonen said you are a lucky boy you just need to follow
PS “yeah, good.”

Do you know the roads as well as say Boonen and Cancellara?
PS “Well no I don’t know all the roads but I know the final well. Boonen has grown up here and is one of the best riders in Belgium and knows the roads well. It’s important but more important how you feel. Like I said, when you come here the first time, it’s hard but I have been here three times. I can do well it’s not impossible”

Do you think your only option is to follow?
PS “When I don’t have legs I can’t follow, it’s not a play station game”

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Do you use your power metre in the race?
PS “No I can analyse it after the race but when someone attacks you have to go, it doesn’t matter how many watts you put out”

You seem very relaxed, is bike racing fun for you?
PS “Yeah, there is so many people making pressure for me here because it’s a big race so I try and have fun, but this is an important race so it’s difficult to have fun”

Is this the most pressure you feel all year?
PS “No the Tour is more pressure every day. Here, I’m in Belgium but we have no stress and it’s only one day, then we can relax”

Is Fabian strong this year?
PS “He is always strong. Last year in Milan San Remo I was second this year I was tenth, does that make me not strong? I’m not sure if I’m stronger than last year but for now I feel good”

Who will be the rider left with you at the end from your team?
PS “Oscar Gatto I think. We got him from another team as a leader and now he is here with me, During the race I can also speak with my team to see if anyone else is feeling strong”

How about Tom Boonen?
PS. “For this race he is always ready. I like Tom and in races we always speak but there are other contenders”

What do you think about the threat from Wiggins?
PS. “For him, I don’t think so. I have respect for him but for Sunday I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s an important target for him like me and Fabian, but it’s good he wants to win”.

RIDER LIST
TREK FACTORY RACING
PL/DS DEMOL Dirk
1 CANCELLARA Fabian
2 DEVOLDER Stijn
3 IRIZAR ARANBURU Markel
4 POPOVYCH Yaroslav
5 RAST Grégory
6 ROULSTON Hayden
7 SERGENT Jesse
8 STUYVEN Jasper

CANNONDALE
PL/DS SCIREA Mario
11 SAGAN Peter
12 SABATINI Fabio
13 BODNAR Maciej
14 GATTO Oscar
15 KING Edward
16 KOREN Kristijan
17 LONGO BORGHINI Paolo
18 MARANGONI Alan

LOTTO BELISOL
PL/DS FRISON Herman
21 BOECKMANS Kris
22 BROECKX Stig
23 DEHAES Kenny
24 LIGTHART Pim
25 ROELANDTS Jurgen
26 BAK Lars Ytting
27 DEBUSSCHERE Jens
28 GALLOPIN Tony

OMEGA PHARMA – QUICK-STEP CYCLING TEAM
PL/DS PEETERS Wilfried
31 BOONEN Tom
32 KEISSE Iljo
33 MAES Nikolas
34 STYBAR Zdenek
35 TERPSTRA Niki
36 TRENTIN Matteo
37 VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume
38 VANDENBERGH Stijn

AG2R LA MONDIALE
PL/DS JURDIE Julien
41 APPOLLONIO Davide
42 BAGDONAS Gediminas
43 CHAINEL Steve
44 GAUDIN Damien
45 HOULE Hugo
46 MINARD Sébastien
47 MONDORY Lloyd
48 TURGOT Sébastien

ASTANA PRO TEAM
PL/DS ZANINI Stefano
51 BOZIC Borut
52 GAVAZZI Francesco
53 GRIVKO Andriy
54 GRUZDEV Dmitriy
55 GUARDINI Andrea
56 IGLINSKIY Valentin
57 KAMYSHEV Arman
58 MURAVYEV Dmitriy

BELKIN-PRO CYCLING TEAM
PL/DS BOVEN Jan
61 BOOM Lars
62 LEEZER Thomas
63 TANKINK Bram
64 TJALLINGII Maarten
65 VAN EMDEN Jos
66 VANMARCKE Sep
67 WAGNER Robert
68 WYNANTS Maarten

BMC RACING TEAM
PL/DS BALDATO Fabio
71 BURGHARDT Marcus
72 DILLIER Silvan
73 HUSHOVD Thor
74 LODEWYCK Klaas
75 PHINNEY Taylor
76 QUINZIATO Manuel
77 SCHÄR Michael
78 VAN AVERMAET Greg

FDJ.fr
PL/DS MADIOT Marc
81 BONNET William
82 BOUCHER David
83 DELAGE Mickael
84 DEMARE Arnaud
85 FISCHER Murilo Antonio
86 LADAGNOUS Matthieu
87 LE BON Johan
88 OFFREDO Yoann

GARMIN SHARP
PL/DS VAN BONDT Geert
91 BAUER Jack
92 FARRAR Tyler
93 KREDER Raymond
94 LANGEVELD Sebastian
95 MILLAR David
96 NUYENS Nick
97 VAN BAARLE Dylan
98 VANSUMMEREN Johan

LAMPRE-MERIDA
PL/DS MAINI Orlando
101 BONIFAZIO Niccolo
102 CIMOLAI Davide
103 FAVILLI Elia
104 MODOLO Sacha
105 PALINI Andrea
106 POZZATO Filippo
107 RICHEZE Maximiliano Ariel
108 WACKERMANN Luca

MOVISTAR TEAM
PL/DS JAIMERENA Jose Luis
111 AMADOR BAKKAZAKOVA Andrey
112 DOWSETT Alex
113 ERVITI OLLO Imanol
114 GUTIERREZ PALACIOS José Ivan
115 LOBATO DEL VALLE Juan Jose
116 QUINTANA ROJAS Dayer Uberney
117 SÃœTTERLIN Jasha
118 VENTOSO ALBERDI Francisco José

ORICA GreenEDGE
PL/DS LAPAGE Laurenzo
121 DOCKER Mitchell
122 DURBRIDGE Luke
123 HAYMAN Mathew
124 HEPBURN Michael
125 IMPEY Daryl
126 KEUKELEIRE Jens
127 MOURIS Jens
128 TUFT Svein

TEAM EUROPCAR
PL/DS ARNOULD Dominique
131 COUSIN Jerome
132 DUCHESNE Antoine
133 ENGOULVENT Jimmy
134 GENE Yohann
135 HUREL Tony
136 JEROME Vincent
137 MARTINEZ Yannick
138 PICHOT Alexandre

TEAM GIANT-SHIMANO
PL/DS REEF Marc
141 ARNDT Nikias
142 CURVERS Roy
143 DE KORT Koen
144 DEGENKOLB John
145 DEVENYNS Dries
146 JANSE VAN RENSBURG Reinardt
147 SINKELDAM Ramon
148 TIMMER Albert

TEAM KATUSHA
PL/DS MIKHAILOV Guennadi
151 GUSEV Vladimir
152 ISAICHEV Vladimir
153 KRISTOFF Alexander
154 KUCHYNSKI Aliaksandr
155 KUZNETSOV Viacheslav
156 PAOLINI Luca
157 SMUKULIS Gatis
158 TSATEVITCH Alexey

TEAM SKY
PL/DS KNAVEN Servaes
161 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald
162 EISEL Bernhard
163 KNEES Christian
164 PUCCIO Salvatore
165 RASCH Gabriel
166 ROWE Luke
167 THOMAS Geraint
168 WIGGINS Bradley

TINKOFF-SAXO
PL/DS DE JONGH Steven
171 BENNATI Daniele
172 BOARO Manuele
173 BRESCHEL Matti
174 JUUL JENSEN Christopher
175 KOLÁR Michal
176 KROON Karsten
177 SÖRENSEN Nicki
178 TRUSOV Nikolay

ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – VENEZUELA
PL/DS ELLENA Giovanni
181 BANDIERA Marco
182 BERTAZZO Omar
183 FACCHINI Patrick
184 HOOGERLAND Johnny
185 PARRINELLO Antonio
186 RODRIGUEZ Jackson
187 TESTI Nicola
188 ZORDAN Andrea

COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
PL/DS DELOEUIL Alain
191 CAMMAERTS Edwig
192 FOUCHARD Julien
193 GARCIA ECHEGUIBEL Egoitz
194 JOEAAR Gert
195 LEMOINE Cyril
196 PETIT Adrien
197 SENECHAL Florian
198 ZINGLE Romain

IAM CYCLING
PL/DS SEIGNEUR Eddy
201 CHAVANEL Sylvain
202 ELMIGER Martin
203 HAUSSLER Heinrich
204 HINAULT Sébastien
205 KLEMME Dominic
206 KLUGE Roger
207 PINEAU Jérôme
208 SARAMOTINS Aleksejs

MTN – QHUBEKA
PL/DS ZEMKE Jens
211 CIOLEK Gerald
212 GERDEMANN Linus
213 KONOVALOVAS Ignatas
214 REIMER Martin
215 SBARAGLI Kristian
216 STAUFF Andreas
217 THOMSON Jay Robert
218 VENTER Jaco

TEAM NETAPP – ENDURA
PL/DS POITSCHKE Enrico
221 BARTA Jan
222 BENNETT Sam
223 DEMPSTER Zakkari
224 JARC Blaz
225 MATZKA Ralf
226 SCHILLINGER Andreas
227 SCHWARZMANN Michael
228 THWAITES Scott

TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE
PL/DS PLANCKAERT Walter
231 DECLERCQ Tim
232 LAMPAERT Yves
233 THEUNS Edward
234 VAN ASBROECK Tom
235 VAN HECKE Preben
236 VANBILSEN Kenneth
237 WAEYTENS Zico
238 WALLAYS Jelle

WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT
PL/DS VAN DER SCHUEREN Hilaire
241 DE VREESE Laurens
242 DRUCKER Jean-Pierre
243 GHYSELINCK Jan
244 KREDER Wesley
245 LEUKEMANS Bjorn
246 SELVAGGI Mirko
247 VANLANDSCHOOT James
248 VEUCHELEN Frederik

 

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