Slovakian could use Grand Tour as springboard to Worlds
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Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Green jersey Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the start line of stage 21 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the autobus(Image credit: Getty Images)
Peter Sagan on the podium after stage 18(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Peter Sagan had special edition 100% sunglasses for the 2018 Tour de France(Image credit: Josh Evans/Immediate Media)
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) has hinted that he will ride the Vuelta a España later this month after posting the words ‘Hola España’ on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. Sagan recently tied up a record-equalling green jersey at the Tour de France.
No official announcement has been made by the organisers or the team, but something is expected later this week or early next week. If Sagan does ride the Vuelta a España, it would be his first time at the Spanish Grand Tour since 2015 and only his third-ever participation.
Sagan made his Grand Tour debut, and his name as a sprinter, at the 2011 Vuelta where he won three stages and the points classification while riding in support of Liquigas team leader Vincenzo Nibali. The Slovakian had already shown himself to be a well-rounded rider by then, but he showed his climbing ability when he won a mountainous stage 6.
He would return to the race in 2014, but he would leave part way through as he focused on the World Championships. He would use the same preparation for the Worlds in 2015, and he looked in good form with a win on stage 3. However, his race would end rather more abruptly than he would have liked when he was clipped by a race motorbike.
Once again, the Vuelta a España would provide a springboard for a tilt at the World Championships. This year's course is one of the climb-heavy in recent memory, with Nibali describing it as the hardest he’s seen. The Vuelta will provide more than enough climbing for Sagan to test his legs on as he aims for a record fourth consecutive rainbow jersey. Strictly speaking, it's not a course designed for Sagan but he's set to give it a go, nevertheless.
The Vuelta a España is set to begin in Malaga on August 25 and will finish in Madrid on September 16.
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