Peter Sagan should “not be discounted” as a contender at the UCI Road World Championships to be held on the mountainous Innsbruck course in Austria on September 30, said veteran cycling commentator Phil Liggett.
Bora-Hansgrohe’s Peter Sagan, pictured here at the Tour de France last year, should “not be discounted” as a contender at the UCI Road World Championships in September this year. Photo: Chris Graythen
Sagan, not renowned for climbing, will be vying to win his fourth consecutive title on the 265km course, which will have almost 4 700 metres of ascent.
“If he [Sagan] is determined enough he can conquer any course,” Liggett said. “He may not be a climber, but he can climb.
“When you are racing on a circuit like in the world championships, you measure your effort a lot differently to in a stage race like the Tour de France.
“We should never discount Sagan and I am sure he will not discount himself either.”
The course, depicted as “pro-Vincenzo Nibali” because he is such a strong climber, would be “very hard”, added Liggett.
“If Nibali said it is hard, then it must be very hard,” Liggett said. “We talk of Nibali as a very good climber and stage racer. He knows the big difference between stage-race riding and one-day riding.
“It may well turn out to be the toughest [race] in the history of the world championships, but we have had some tough races in the past.”
Liggett recalled the 1980 world championships in Sallanches, France, which had almost 6 000 metres of climbing and was won by Bernard Hinault.
“That was a brute of a course with a major climb of around eight kilometres every lap [for 20 laps]. It was a war of attrition.”
Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, who won the Volta a Catalunya over a week ago, is however Liggett’s favourite for the Austrian edition this year.
“Valverde will start as my favourite to win. It sounds like a course that would suit him, and on his current form I would not put it past him to become the world champion.”
