Sagan is it!

Last week, I said that Peter Sagan would be probably be blanked for the Spring Classics by the most powerful classic team this year and the previous years, QUICKSTEP (QS). But I spoked too soon.

During last week’s Gent-Wevelgem, the first of the major classic, Sagan outwitted a quartet of QS riders, including the strongest sprinter the group, Elia Viviani, to take his third, career Gent-Wvelgem. I had the feeling that either Sagan is a smart rider, or has a nous for the right spot/moment, or maybe the cycling gods just loves him. I think it’s all three and it left the Italian ruing and sniveling after the Slovak gave him and QS crumbs.

The saying in bicycle road racing always holds true, that the winner is not always the strongest but could be the smartest or the luckiest.

In the 1988 World Championships held in Ronse, Belgium, three riders would upper the sprint. Remember that winning the worlds means not only fame but also thousands if not millions of dollars in endorsements. Belgian Claude Criquillion, Canadian Steve Bauer and Italian Maurizio Fondriest. Of the trio, Bauer was the best sprinter while Fondriest could still lose even if Bauer and Criquillion sprinted on one leg. But after 260km of hard racing, you can never be sure who can win  the sprint. Of course, Fondriest won, when Bauer and Criquillion tangled and crashed. Fondriest is one lucky dude and he parlayed the win into a very successful bicycle company.

Fast forward last night, our time, was the Tour of Flanders. The favorites to win are of course Sagan, Greg van Avermaet, any of the QS riders and a relatively new name in the classic Tiejs Benoot. Flanders is the second “monument” of the season, after Milan-San Remo. Flanders is the Tour de France of Belgium and is one of the two most popular one day race in the professional calendar.

What makes Flanders so compelling? Well, the route consists of “bergs”, short steep hills that is paved with pave, or cobblestones. You can only imagine climbing in a 12% gradient on slick and uneven cobblestones and that is on the dry. What if it rains? Carnage would be the right word if it pours.

My favorite of course is Sagan. If Sagan wins, cycling will be the winner. And I like tat cycling will win, especially with Damocles Sword hanging over its head in the case of Chris Froome.

Will the cycling gods be kind generous again to Sagan this time? I hope they will. Sagan will not be alone this time, he will have two strong lieutenants in Daniel Oss and Marcus Burghart. Although both had been a great help to Sagan, they have failed to be with him till the end, unlike QS who usually have the numbers. In cycling, those who have the numbers in the closing kilometers will be heavily favored.

Lets hope that Oss and Burghart will be there when it counts.