Has Roman Kreuziger started what will be his best season yet? At 23 years old, he already has an overall win in the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie under his belt. Many in cycling believe he has the potential to win the Tour de France, and perhaps even this year. Yesterday, in his second day of racing this year, he won Giro di Sardegna's stage to Monte Ortobene and took the overall leadership.
He warned, "The best has yet to come."
At 922 metres, Czech Republic's Kreuziger finished ahead of Chris Horner (RadioShack) and Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom). His win came on the back of a two-week, altitude camp in Tenerife, Spain, in the company of Liquigas team-mates Ivan Basso, Franco Pellizotti and Vincenzo Nibali.
Nibali, from Italy's other island, Sicily, helped Kreuziger win the day.
"I knew that we had worked well, but we needed to prove it in a race, with rivals," said Kreuziger to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I talked with Vincenzo, the day before he was dropped, so he decided to help me today [yesterday - ed.]. Journalists find it easy at times to create internal rivalries, instead, they should know that we are friends. He looked after me at the start of the climb."
Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) is often touted as the future of the Tour de France, after all, he finished second to winner Alberto Contador (Astana) last year. However, Kreuziger, one year younger, has enough talent to possibly even take the win before Schleck.
"I know I need to stay calm and have patience," said Kreuziger. "Andy has already won Liège and finished second at the Giro and Tour, better than my results." Kreuziger finished ninth last year, Nibali seventh.
He will face Contador at Paris-Nice next month and again at the Volta a Catalunya. Following the Ardennes Classics and a break, he will return to try to win the Tour de France with Liquigas-Doimo. But can Kreuziger, Basso, Nibali and Pellizotti work together to win the race for the team?
"We have already spent two weeks living together, in a place were there is nothing for 50 kilometres. If things weren't going well do you think that we could do that?"
He has a point, but hanging out at training camp is much different from the stressful environment of the Tour de France.