Peter Sagan may have enjoyed a holiday a little sooner than he might have anticipated this summer, but even after such disappointment at the biggest race of the year, he’s certainly come back with a bang. As has his whole team, which this week races at the WorldTour stage race, the Tour of Poland. Bora-Hansgrohe have proved again and again that they have immense strength in depth and a real passion that does not dip in the face of adversity. The team may be newbies in the WorldTour peloton, but they are a near unstoppable force.
You can’t keep a Sagan down
The Tour de France was following the familiar winning formula for Sagan before it all went wrong after stage four. Despite the setback of his Tour de France disqualification, Sagan arrived at the Tour of Poland looking lean, freshly trimmed and ready to fight for victory. He won the stage one sprint comfortably, wrapping himself in yellow in the process. The jersey was taken off him after stage two, but he snatched it back in spectacular fashion on the steep finish of stage three where he finished ahead of all but one of the GC favourites. He has shown the characteristics of a true champion and proven that you can’t keep a good man down.
Strength in depth
We were first shown the depth of the team’s strength at the Giro d’Italia where their young squad lived up to the reputation afforded by Bora’s marquee riders. Lukas Pöstlberger and Gregor Mühlberger are notable for their performance in Italy and their form has not dwindled. Mühlberger rides the Tour of Poland wearing the stripes of Austrian national champion and has shown exceptional strength as both a leader and climbing domestique for Rafal Majka.
Resurgent Rafal
Bora-Hangsrohe went to the Tour de France with two leaders in Peter Sagan and Rafal Majka, but by stage ten, both had vacated their seats on the team bus. Racing for general classification, Majka had been involved in the same nasty crash which saw Geraint Thomas withdraw. Unbowed, Majka returned home to recover before taking the start at his home race in Poland this week. He has shown strength and control at every opportunity thus far and he sits in second place on GC as the race enters its final mountain stage.
The season is far from over so keep a look out for the boys in black and turquoise as we head into the latter half of the calendar. In the meantime, have a look at our awesome collection of Bora kit and equipment.
