Going two years between stage wins in Grand Tours would be just fine with 90% of riders, but Sagan is a man who is in contention to win almost ever day, and yet somehow has become Mr. Second Place in recent times as victories allude him either because everyone marks him to chase a late move which he doesn't, and which then succeeds, because everyone marks him to chase a late move which he does and they then capitalise on his tired legs, or because it's a flat sprint and he's got those two or three men in the world who as pure sprinters only can out drag him to the line.
Not today though.
Sagan has taken to the start of 71 Grand Tour stages over those 781 days and has likely been in the mix to win about 50 of them, but to no avail, until today. Today, the Slovak, the four-time Green jersey winner, the widely regarded best all-round rider in the sport despite those lack of wins, finally burst clear of his rivals in the drag for the line and held them off to win.
In other circumstances, perhaps for the other 9% that win, or are expected to win more than once every two years, you might think that this result will do wonders for their confidence, but Sagan is in that 1%, perhaps 0.1% as he stands alone, that doesn't suffer from crisis of confidence and who will put himself back in contention to win again the very next day regardless of the outcome.
What the win will do is quell any panic by those not named Peter Sagan that he's lost his winning touch and that the eyes of the marking peloton have ensured he can no longer win. The reminder that is today's win will only enhance the danger to the rest that this isn't likely to be his only win over the next three weeks, but then you won't need to tell Sagan that.
| Result: | Overall: | ||
| 1. Sagan (TCS) 2. Bouhanni (COF) 3. Degenklob (TGA) 4. Drucker (BMC) 5. Richeze (LAM) 6. Sbaragli (MTN) | in 4h 6' 46" all ST | 1. Chaves (OGE) 2. Dumoulin (TGA) 3. Roche (SKY) 4. D. Martin (TCG) 5. Rodriguez (KAT) 6. Quintana (MOV) | in 8h 4' 1" @ 5" @ 15" @ 24" @ 35" @ 36" |
