Czech admits campaign will be "a little bit different"
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Amstel Gold Race winner Roman Kreuziger(Image credit: Sonja Csury)
Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) en route to a third place overall finish at the Tour de Suisse.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Roman Kreuziger (Team Saxobank) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Roman Kreuziger (Team Saxo - Tinkoff)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Roman Kreuziger (Astana) (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) has gone from being a designated grand tour leader with Astana to playing a key support role for Alberto Contador with the Danish squad at this year's Tour de France.
"The objective is perfectly clear," the Czech rider said. "We want win the Tour with Alberto. That's the goal for our team. We have three long and very hard weeks ahead of us. My own personal ambition is no other than the team's ambition. Every one of us in the team are motivated and focused to give our very best in the 100th Tour de France."
Kreuziger won this year's Amstel Gold Race and more recently finished third overall at the Tour de Suisse. The results added to a palmares that already includes overall wins at the Tour of Romandie and Suisse, fifth overall at the Giro d'Italia and twice in the Tour de France's top 10.
Questions were asked of Kreuziger following his victory at Amstel as to how he would fit into a line-up that was focused on the fortunes of Contador – especially at a grand tour level but the 27-year-old remained philosophical, despite having come from Astana where he was a designated leader.
"There are three Grand Tours in the year so I think there is an opportunity for everybody," Kreuziger said in April. "We have a different program [he and Contador]. It's a good team for me also because I'm still a very young rider."
Now, Kreuziger admits that his experience riding the Tour will be "a little bit different" but he's no less enthused.
"In my opinion, we have the best Grand Tour rider in the world and I'm so ready to support Alberto," he confirmed. "My most important support will be executed in the mountains but I assume I can do some good in the team time trial as well."
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Much like his team captain, Kreuziger does not believe the 100th Tour de France is set to be dominated by a Team Sky juggernaut as in 2012, this time led by Chris Froome.
"Everyone's talking about Froome, Valverde and Rodriguez," said Kreuziger. "But if you look the start list there are many other very strong competitors such as Jakob Fuglsang, Cadel Evans, Tejay van Garderen and Richie Porte."
