Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe) got his 2018 season off to the best possible start as he sprinted to win the People’s Choice Classic in Adelaide today.
The UCI World Road Race Champion outsprinted Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) for the victory.
The 50.6-kilometre race came down to a small group sprint at the end of 22 laps and in the dash to the line, Kristoffer Halvorsen (Team Sky) crashed suffering numerous cuts.
“The People’s Choice Classic was a fast race with a fast sprint finish,” said Sagan afterwards. “The team worked very well, following the plan the sport directors had set.
“When the final sprint started, I found myself a bit closed but I then took Greipel’s wheel and managed to beat the others on the line. I’m very happy with this result for me and the team. Thanks to BORA-hansgrohe, Specialized and all the sponsors and partners of the team for their support.”
“Although the leadout plan wasn’t perfectly executed, Peter showed his strength and took the win”, said BORA-hansgrohe Directeur Sportif Steffen Radochla.
“Overall, I feel happy because the team worked very well in the last laps and everybody seems to be in good shape. I think the team’s performance shows it was a good decision to come to Adelaide a week earlier and adapt to the local weather condition and get some proper training here.
“It is the perfect start to the season, we can all be happy. Everybody is now motivated for the proper Tour Down Under start on Tuesday. We are all ready, the riders are in good shape and I think we can expect some good results next week,” continued Radochla.
