Bora-Hansgrohe name strong team for world champion's 2018 season debut
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Peter Sagan wins stage 3 at the 2017 Tour de France(Image credit: Michael Aisner)
New signings Daniel Oss, Davide Formolo and Pete Kennaugh raise a glass with Peter Sagan and team sponsors (Image credit: BORA - hansgrohe / VeloImages)
Peter Kennaugh (Bora-hansgrohe)(Image credit: Bora-hansgrohe)
Daniel Oss (Bora-hansgrohe)(Image credit: Bora-hansgrohe)
Peter Sagan checks out team manager Ralph Denk's new 'Peter Sagan' tattoo(Image credit: BORA - hansgrohe / VeloImages)
Peter Sagan with his third rainbow jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Sagan has arrived in Australia for the Santos Tour Down Under, with his Bora-Hansgrohe team confirming he will have the backing of a strong squad that includes new signings Pete Kennaugh and Daniel Oss, plus fellow sprinter Sam Bennett. Also in the seven-rider squad for the opening WorldTour race of 2018 are Jay McCarthy, Maciej Bodnar and Rüdiger Selig.
Sagan will make his season debut in the rainbow jersey after ending his 2017 season immediately after winning the World Championships in Bergen in order to spend time with his wife Katerina and son Marlon, who was born in late October.
This year, Sagan will face competition from Ewan once again, with Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) already confirmed on the growing start list.
Sagan and Bora-Hansgrohe were part of the first wave of riders to arrive in Adelaide for the Tour Down Under on Friday. Other teams will arrive from Europe in the coming days to acclimatise to the Australian summer, while most Australian riders will be in action at the national championships road race on Sunday.
The six-day men’s Tour Down Under begins on January 16, with the People’s Choice Classic criterium offering a warm-up race on January 14. The four-day women’s Tour Down Under begins on January 11 and precedes the men’s race.
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Race director Mike Turtur is hoping to see fight for victory on Willunga Hill on stage 5, just as he did back in 2010.
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"We expect another aggressive showing at the race from Sagan," Turtur said.
"Seven years ago we saw Sagan attack over the last climb on Willunga Hill, finishing fifth, battling it out alongside Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde and Luis Leon Sanchez. The race and the fans are in store for something special again when he tackles the climb this year."
Kennaugh and Oss will make their debut in new Bora-Hansgrohe colours. Kennaugh joins from Team Sky, while Oss was brought in from BMC to bolster Sagan’s Classics squad.
