Peter Sagan comes second a lot but he may be the world’s best cyclist

Is there a bigger star in cycling right now than Peter Sagan? The Slovakian just won his fourth consecutive Tour de France green jersey and his quirky post-race interviews have endeared him to cycling fans the world over. He’s a true contender in the Classics and in the bunch sprints. He even won the Tour of California this year, showing a previously untapped talent for time trialling. During the Tour de France, his team boss Oleg Tinkov made an interesting point, in between the casual insults, offensive tweets and provocative bluster. He said that Sagan was the strongest cyclist in the world. It’s an interesting point, because Sagan is just as famous for not winning as he is for winning. At the last two Tours, he’s finished top-five 20 times without winning a stage. How can a rider who always comes second be the best cyclist in the world? The answer is in that breadth of talent. He’s one of the few riders in the bunch who has an effect on every race he’s in - his rivals, knowing how dangerous he is, see neutralising him as an essential tactic, even when it actually doesn’t suit their own goals. We suspect, however, that the second places would all be quickly forgotten if Sagan could win the World Championships in the USA this year. He’d be a worthy wearer of the rainbow jersey.