Should Sagan transform into Tour contender? No way, says LeMond
July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Bora-Hansgrohe rider Peter Sagan of Slovakia is escorted to the podium after his stage win from Verviers, Belgium to Longwy, France in the Tour de France race on Monday. — Reuters
July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Last Updated: July 5, 2017 | 12:00 AM
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LONGWY, France — Peter Sagan has already won two world championships, five Tour de France green jerseys, the Tour of Flanders — and some have been wondering whether he should one day have a go at the ultimate prize for a cyclist, the Tour's yellow jersey.
Three-time champion Greg LeMond, however, says the Slovak, once dubbed 'the next Eddy Merckx', would need to 'starve himself to death' to lose enough weight to be able to compete in the climbs, as a contender for the overall title must do.
"I don't buy into that transformation," American LeMond, on the Tour as an analyst for Eurosport, told Reuters after Sagan won the third stage with an awe-inspiring uphill sprint. "Peter Sagan has low body fat. What he could lose is muscle mass — and you have to live like a monk to do that.'
Sagan is 1.84 m (6 feet) tall and weighs 73 kg (161 pounds). Briton Bradley Wiggins, 1.90 m (6 foot 3 inches) tall and originally a track cyclist, had to shed considerable weight to get down to just 71 kg (156.5 pounds) to put himself in a position to win the Tour in 2012.
"Sagan would have to lose four or five kg (9-11 pounds)," said LeMond. "And he should not do that, that's quite unhealthy. When you do that, it eats muscle away, it's very risky. You starve yourself to death for a long period, and it could work — but it can lead to depression, it's an unnatural thing to do."
LeMond himself went through tough diets during his career, winning the Tour in 1986, 89 and 90. "If I started a season 5 percent of body fat, I was fighting to stay there," he recalled. "Your body has a natural point and looks to keep its balance. That's why diets don't work!"
"It's also very hard to maintain year after year. Look at Bradley Wiggins. After he won the Tour, he came back to his natural weight."
Croatian rider excluded from Tour of Austria
A rider of Austrian cycling team Felbermayr-Simplon Wels has been excluded from this week's Tour of Austria after failing two doping tests in May.
The International Cycling Union says it has provisionally suspended Croatian rider Matija Kvasina for testing positive for the banned drug molidustat, which stimulates the production of EPO and red blood cells, during the Fleche du Sud on May 26 and 28.
The 35-year-old Kvasina, who won the stage race in Luxembourg, is a seven-time national time trial champion in Croatia, and took part in the Olympic road races in 2008 in Beijing and four years later in London. Kvasina finished 40th in Monday's opening stage of the Tour of Austria. — Agencies
Three-time champion Greg LeMond, however, says the Slovak, once dubbed 'the next Eddy Merckx', would need to 'starve himself to death' to lose enough weight to be able to compete in the climbs, as a contender for the overall title must do.
"I don't buy into that transformation," American LeMond, on the Tour as an analyst for Eurosport, told Reuters after Sagan won the third stage with an awe-inspiring uphill sprint. "Peter Sagan has low body fat. What he could lose is muscle mass — and you have to live like a monk to do that.'
Sagan is 1.84 m (6 feet) tall and weighs 73 kg (161 pounds). Briton Bradley Wiggins, 1.90 m (6 foot 3 inches) tall and originally a track cyclist, had to shed considerable weight to get down to just 71 kg (156.5 pounds) to put himself in a position to win the Tour in 2012.
"Sagan would have to lose four or five kg (9-11 pounds)," said LeMond. "And he should not do that, that's quite unhealthy. When you do that, it eats muscle away, it's very risky. You starve yourself to death for a long period, and it could work — but it can lead to depression, it's an unnatural thing to do."
LeMond himself went through tough diets during his career, winning the Tour in 1986, 89 and 90. "If I started a season 5 percent of body fat, I was fighting to stay there," he recalled. "Your body has a natural point and looks to keep its balance. That's why diets don't work!"
"It's also very hard to maintain year after year. Look at Bradley Wiggins. After he won the Tour, he came back to his natural weight."
Croatian rider excluded from Tour of Austria
A rider of Austrian cycling team Felbermayr-Simplon Wels has been excluded from this week's Tour of Austria after failing two doping tests in May.
The International Cycling Union says it has provisionally suspended Croatian rider Matija Kvasina for testing positive for the banned drug molidustat, which stimulates the production of EPO and red blood cells, during the Fleche du Sud on May 26 and 28.
The 35-year-old Kvasina, who won the stage race in Luxembourg, is a seven-time national time trial champion in Croatia, and took part in the Olympic road races in 2008 in Beijing and four years later in London. Kvasina finished 40th in Monday's opening stage of the Tour of Austria. — Agencies
