The 23-year-old Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling Team) reaffirmed his form for Milan-Sanremo and his propensity for excelling in tough conditions with an impressive performance at Tirreno-Adriatico.
While other classics rider and sprinters climbed off to escape the terrible weather conditions and steep Le Marche hills, Sagan used his range of talents to stay with the overall contenders on the climbs, go clear with Vincenzo Nibali on the rain-soaked descent and then win the stage without barely opening up his sprint finish.
As he crossed the finish line, Sagan kissed his biceps in another of his original celebration gestures.
“I kissed my biceps because the climb was so hard that I needed my arms more than my legs, they were more in pain than my legs,” he explained with a cheeky grin and laugh in the post-stage press conference.
“Today was similar to a Classic in Belgium. We’ve raced four hard days before this, so it was a very hard day.
“It was difficult on the 30% climbs with the rain. If you got out of the saddle, you wheel slipped and so I had to ride sitting down and use your power.” – cyclingnews
