Stage 7: Épernay to Nancy, 234.5km. Flat(ish)
It isn't often you'd feel sorry for someone who had finished in the top five of all eight stages to start a Tour de France, but I can't help feel that way for Peter Sagan. The guy cannot buy himself a victory right now despite trying to get in the mix across every terrain that the Tour has thrown up over its first week.
He was in the mix on that rolling second stage which Nibali got away on to win, and he was in the hunt on the cobbles two days ago before a late move which he missed by Lars Boom and the Astana boys left him with Fabian Cancellara and out of contention. Then on the flat pure sprinters stages, he had Marcel Kittel to contend with and when he got out of the way yesterday it was another big German filling the void that Sagan would have hoped to occupy.
And so to today with a few little climbs not far from the finish and the perfect opportunity to ramp up the pace, shed the pure sprinters and have a shot at glory. The thing with Sagan however, and what endears him to so many cycling fans, is his aggressive riding style. He could settle for the sprint, but he prefers to go after the result before that. It happened in Montreal last year when he attacked on the final climb and rode solo to a fantastic win. He tried the same thing today.
All the top dogs were near the front on that steep final rise -- only a category four climb, but enough to reduce the field significantly. Sagan made his move along with Greg Van Avermaet going over the top and the pair moved clear on the descent building a solid lead. At this point Sagan had two choices: Sit up, save energy, wait on the group and contest a sprint from which he was surely the favorite, or pass on the gamble of something going wrong in the sprint and keep his foot down with Van Avermaet. Of course, Sagan took the later option, in fact, he likely never considered anything but.
Could it also have been that Sagan felt his move might have netted him the 44 seconds he lay behind Nibali on the GC? Surely they would never have gained such time over a fast moving group on a descent to the finish, but perhaps he hoped there might be some disorganisation or that he could grab half that defecit today and perhaps the rest tomorrow? Or more simply, Sagan just felt that this was the glorious way to win the stage.
Unfortunately the pack behind kept organised after all and into the final stretch they brought them back. A big crash in the final corner reduced the field further but Sagan tucked himself back in near the front and sought to recover for a run at the sprint. As things wound up Andrew Talansky hit the deck ending a miserable day for American GC contenders after Tejay Van Garderen came down before that final climb. Yesterday was a day that cost the French time; today it was the turn of the Americans.
Sagan made his bid for that illusive victory but as he thrust his bike to the line so too did Matteo Trentin beside him and what looked at first glance like a Sagan win was shown to be Trentin's on the photo replay, by the width of a tire.
Another top five finish for Sagan...his eighth in eight stages, but still none as a winner. He may be walking away with the green jersey, but his frustration must be growing with every passing day. It raises the question: Should he have remained with a shrinking group and simply won the sprint? It's almost certain he would have given that in spite of his late attack he was still able to contest the sprint and only lose it by a millimeter? But as I said, conservative riding isn't part of the young Slovak's makeup and it's why we love him.
Just think about it: Had Nibali not went for it on stage two leaving Sagan unwilling to chase down a friend, had he better marked the winning move on the cobbles on sage five, and if he where just that little bit quicker in the bunch gallops you could be looking at a man winning all eight stages of this tour. You could say such a scenario would require too much luck to fall your way; that it could never come together for you every time, but the thing is, until that final reach for the line or that final move, it has come together for Sagan; he has put himself in the right position.
Surely a win will come eventually, even tomorrow. It's an uphill finish then but it's not a high mountain -- the only terrain that doesn't seem to suit this phenom -- and if he can hang in at the front until that last burst for the line he should have the power to get the monkey off his back.
I hope so; I think we all do.
Result:
1. Trentin (OPQ) in 5h 18'39"
2. Sagan (CAN)
3. Gallopin (LTB)
4. Dumoulin (GIA)
5. Gerrans (ORI)
6. Oss (BMC) all s.t.
Overall: No change.
