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According to Petr Zánický, the youth coach of Petr Sagan, the lack of training will be noticeable. The body’s reaction to several days of stress after overcoming covid will be important.
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Tour de France 2022 – everything you need to know in one place
This Friday, the 109th Tour de France will start in Denmark. Slovakia will have its representative in Petr Sagan. The seven-time winner of the green jersey is on his eleventh Tour. For the first time in his career, he will go to a three-week race in a team from a lower category.
The French group TotalEnergies wants to end the five-year wait for a stage triumph from the biggest race. Peter Sagan will have an interesting group of cyclists around him, who will try to participate in breakaways and help Peter Sagan in the fight for victory in the stages and the green jersey.
Sagan’s youth coach Peter Zánicky this year he sees the biggest favorites in other cyclists: “Wout Van Aert is in great shape and can score points even in the more difficult stages. At the Tour of Switzerland, Michael Matthews was also in form in the climbs. Peter Sagan may benefit from being out of the limelight. Huge experience can also speak in his favor, but everything will be seen day by day,” said the native of Žilina and Peter Sagan’s support since his junior days.
Photo gallery
Peter Zánicky.
Source: TASR
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Many fans were surprised that Peter signed with the French team from the Pro Tour category. How did you perceive this step?
“I admit, it was a surprise for me, but on the other hand, I understood this decision. Few people can imagine what pressure was exerted on Petr in Bor. It’s different in the lower league. It was expected that the pressure would be less and this is confirmed. The team did not push the saw even at the beginning of the season, when it had health problems and things did not go as expected. It’s quite a jump down, but Peter realizes that his career is slowly coming to an end and for a long time he wanted to end his career in a more comfortable way.”
The year 2022 started for Peter Sagan similarly to last year. Problems with covid and other health complications lasted until mid-April. It seems that these were the most difficult months of Peter’s career.
“The most difficult months of his career were when he was still driving in Tinkoff. He had some interpersonal problems and an injury there. During the covid problems, Peter did not deal with it at all. Everyone knew that it was simply beyond control. Both Peter and Juraj positively perceived the approach of the French team. They left time for everything. It was exemplary on their part.”
He chose America to concentrate before the second part of the season. He spent almost a month tweaking his form in Utah. Why did he decide to fly to the other side of the world?
“Peter believes in proven things and in the past he was always able to prepare excellently in America. He has a good experience and from what he told me, he plans to go to the training in America even after the Tour de France. He is also close to the American mentality, he likes that he has peace and the Utah area has very good conditions for cycling – wide and high-quality roads, hills and altitude.
One of the reasons is that Specialized, the main bike supplier of the TotalEnergies team and a long-time sponsor of Peter Sagan, is from the USA. Even his start at the Unbound Gravel race was a matter of the sponsor.”
Photo gallery
Peter Sagan v drese TotalEnergies.
Source: internet
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Will we see him in the field more often?
“The team does not tie his hands in this regard and will accommodate him if he wants to. But Unbound Gravel flowed from the fact that he was nearby, Specialized was there and he was happy to try it out. It’s not the way it works yet. I don’t think his goal is the Burner Olympics, the Gravel World Championship or anything like that.”
The first win this season came in the 3rd stage of the Tour of Switzerland. What was its great importance?
“He went to the race after a long break and the win was certainly very important. Triumph always excites not only Peter Sagan, but also the entire team, who know that it is worth fighting for their leader. He has dynamite in his legs, it was a powerful moment and we all saw that he is on the right path. It certainly helped him a lot before the Tour, and his teammates also got a good boost.”
The first week of the Tour de France is very open, in addition to the opening time trial, there are several classic stages in addition to dice. Even taking into account the less flat stages, how do you see Peter’s chances for the green jersey?
“Personally, I’m a big fan of Peter, but I wouldn’t put him among the favorites. There are other names out there and I’d rather see it for a stage attempt. The very fact that he is not in the center of attention could be a slight advantage. Of course, it all depends on his body. It will be important how he reacts to further overcoming covid in a multi-day frame.
We have to realize that the lack of training and racing will be noticeable. Riders like Michael Matthews, who usually rode in the hills behind Peter, performed very well at the Tour of Switzerland and rode quite a lot in front and especially in front of him. Even less resistant classicists will bite, not to mention Wout Van Aert. I would like a green jersey for Peter, but he will see day by day how his legs behave and where it will take him.”
Photo gallery
Peter Sagan (second from right)
Source: twitter.com/TeamTotalEnrg
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Do dice stages belong in the Tour?
“The organizers are trying to make the race more interesting. We saw dirt roads not only at the Tour, but also at the Giro. From a fan point of view it is attractive and we all know that the spring classics are a completely different cycle and we look forward to them. It is always a demanding day from the professional side. Injuries cannot be eliminated, the positional battle before the cube raid is unreal, everyone wants to be in front. Juraj (Sagan) told me that most of the peloton is going there with a total vabank in order to be in the best possible position. In a stage race, it’s a big trauma for the leaders.”
Wout Van Aert stated that his goal is to attack the green jersey. From a purely performance standpoint, do you see a way to beat it?
“Wout Van Aert vs. Peter Sagan at his best would be a big show. Wout Van Aert is on top, he is younger, more versatile and we have seen that he can collect points in mountain stages and even win them. Experience will be on Peter’s side and the fact that he can make the maximum out of the minimum. Both Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel can explode in some stages, make mistakes and if Peter Sagan collects points, then he can shuffle the cards. The team takes it as a priority, but even from Peter’s point of view, it is not a sure thing.”
Roglič’s Jumbo failed twice in a row to attack for the overall triumph. Do you believe that the team will give Wout Van Aert free rein, let him ride on himself and play two fronts?
“It’s hard to say, double-edged swords don’t pay much in cycling. We know that the teams give different statements before the race, and in the end it is completely different. It’s clear that they have aspirations for the green jersey, but it’s the Tour, it’s three weeks of racing. I think they will monitor developments and react to them. They can easily change it to succeed in at least one.”
Photo gallery
Peter Sagan with the TotalEenergies team
Source: facebook.com/TeamTotalEnergies
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Before the start of the Tour, the biggest favorites for the yellow jersey are Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič. Do you see it the same way?
“The Slovenians are the biggest favourites. I would call it Slovenians against the rest of the world. The circle of the biggest favorites is usually smaller in the Tour than in the Giro and Vuelta, but Ineos will want to shuffle the cards and I believe that there will be someone else.”
It is Ineos that has a two-year fast and wants to apply for a word. They are going to the Tour again with a strong line-up. Can the British group weld Jumba and UAE Emirates?
“I see them as favourites, it’s Ineos and this team has always known that in Grand Tours. Geraint Thomas showed good form in Switzerland. If he doesn’t lose in the hills, he can go on a par with Primož Roglič in the time trial. Ineos bet on the Tour this year, returning to the throne would be a fulfilled goal.”
The penultimate stage is a 40-kilometer time trial. At the Giro in May, we witnessed two time trials that totaled 26 kilometers and the race was even until the last day. Which approach do you lean towards?
“The organizers of the Tour de France are trying to make the route as universal as possible. They want the favorites for the yellow jersey to be able to ride both time trials and classic stages. In the not-so-distant past, time trials were several times longer. During one Tour, it was more than 100 kilometers of fighting against the chronometer.
This time trial will be a day before the end and minutes can be handed out in fatigue. In the Pyrenees, mountaineers will not be satisfied and will always be inventing something. I think it will make for a more dramatic final days.”
Photo gallery
Peter Sagan in the new jersey of the TotalEnergies team.
Source: Team TotalEnergies
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The last team time trial at the Tour was in 2019. The last time the Grand Tours team time trial was at the Vuelta 2019. Isn’t it a shame that it is disappearing?
“It is a pity. The team time trials showed the compactness and strength of the teams and it was always interesting from the spectator’s point of view. Logistics plays a big role in this. Time trial specials also require spare bikes, wheels, different gears and the like. It’s getting packed and the teams have to have another truck. The convoy is already huge and with a start outside of France it’s quite a shot.
Currently, this is done by making two teams and alternating trucks. For example, people who were at the start of the Giro in Hungary did not continue to Sicily. For example, at races outside Europe, time trials are run on road bikes. The organizer will prohibit the use of specials so that only teams that can take care of their logistics are at an advantage.”
What are you most looking forward to during the Tour?
“I went directly to France in the days when Peter Sagan was not in the world. I remember, for example, Miguel Indurain, Gianni Bugno, and later came watching Peter right on the spot. For me, it is a long-term huge holiday with a perfect atmosphere.
There is still a boom in cycling in Slovakia, and it is during the summer that we organize cycling camps under Peter’s name. After the training, we are at the cottage and we are watching the last hour of the stage. I’m looking forward to having a ride that day, and we’ll sit back and cheer. Let’s hope we even shout in victory, that would be absolutely great. The Tour is the Tour, I always look forward to it.”
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