Tinkoff-Saxo leader talks about expected arrival of Slovakian sprinter
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Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) (Image credit: Susanne Goetze)
Peter Sagan (Cannondale)(Image credit: Cyclingnews)
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) at the finish line(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alberto Contador and his Tinkoff Saxo teammates(Image credit: ASO/G. Demouveaux)
Alberto Contador has told Cyclingnews that he would welcome Peter Sagan to the Tinkoff-Saxo team with open arms, should the Classics star sign for Oleg Tinkov's squad.
Speaking at the start of stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine, Contador, who currently sits second overall, told Cyclingnews: "If Sagan joins the team it would be incredible."
Sagan has been constantly linked with a move away from Cannondale since the start of the season with Tinkoff-Saxo and Team Alonso named as possible destinations. With the Team Alonso project yet to get off the ground, all the indications are that Sagan will move to Tinkoff-Saxo and join up Contador for the 2015 season.
Last month Cyclingnews reported that several sources had told the website that the Slovakian will definitely ride for Tinkoff-Saxo in 2015 and beyond. However riders and teams must wait until August 1 before signing official contracts.
"He's a rider with a lot of class, he's very strong and he wins a lot of races," Contador told Cyclingnews, giving Sagan a formal welcome to the Russian team managed by Bjarne Riis.
"He can control a race, and he can win a race so if he comes to our team then it would be very good news. The entire team, all the guys, would be happy to welcome here."
Sagan primarily rides the Spring Classics before building up for the Tour de France where he has won the green jersey for the last two seasons. Contador, a two-time winner of the Tour has rarely shared a squad with any form of joint leadership. However he insisted that he and Sagan could work together at a Grand Tour.
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"I don’t think it would be a problem. There's a big calendar for everyone to have goals and of course it’s important to remember that Peter helped Vincenzo Nibali to third at the Tour de France in 2012 and won the green jersey himself. So there wouldn't be a problem," he said.
Contador began stage four of the Dauphine in the green points jersey – a target Sagan will aim for at the Tour de France.
"Yeah, for me it’'s strange to wear the jersey. We've got a running joke on the team bus with my teammates joking that we're going to start training and racing for the sprint jersey," he said.
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
