Having gone close in the Tour de San Luis with second on stage seven and two additional fifth places, Peter Sagan will line out in Monday’s Tour of Oman determined to seize his first victory of the year.
The Slovakian was one of the most impressive riders of last year, taking three stage wins and the points jersey in his first Tour de France plus a host of other top results, and at 23 years of age he should be able to step up another level this year.
Milan-Sanremo is his big early season goal but in advance of that, he wants to get a win on the clock.
“My first goal is to improve my conditioning,” he said, then made it clear that a victory is also on his agenda. “I had a positive debut in Argentina; it’s a shame that I was only close to winning. In Oman, I’ll find stages suited to me and, most importantly, warm weather.
“The first important event of my season will arrive in one month: I want to face it with strong condition and high morale. This is why taking a win here is ideal.”
He will be joined by the sprinter Elia Viviani as the co-leader of the team. They will be backed by Maciej Bodnar, Guillaume Boivin, Alessandro De Marchi, Kristijan Koren, Daniele Ratto and Fabio Sabatini, riders who all competed in the Tour of Qatar and have taken the trip across to Oman for the next race in that region.
The team will be directed by former pro Alberto Volpi, who is looking forward to watching the leading duo in action. “Riders such as Sagan and Viviani allow us to aim for stage victories,” he said.
“The mixed routes of Tour of Oman are suited for their characteristics. Elia comes from a positive run in Qatar, Peter is an important option for our strategy. Both of them are improving their condition and this is a positive sign. A stage win is the first goal; anything we can take in addition to that is a plus.”
The race begins on Monday and is six stages in length.