The Slovak ups his game

Peter Sagan has been one of the most victorious riders in 2013. Now he reveals that the target for 2014 is not just to win many races, but to bump up the quality of his victories.

"I won 22 races in 2013, but in 2014 it's about the quality, not the quantity of my victories," he told Cyclingnews.

"If I can win just three races next year: Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and the green jersey at the Tour de France, that'd be better than my 2013 result. It won’t be easy because cycling's never easy or logical but it'd be cool to win the big races.

"It's the same at the Tour de France. For me it's not about the number of stages I win but about winning the green jersey for a third time."

Sagan is known for his unique performances, and has time and again proved that he, despite his young age, is a cycling phenomenon. In 2013  he has won countless at top stage races, such as the Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of California, Tour de Suisse, USA Pro Challenge, and Tour of Alberta; lots of smaller race and stage victories and then a stage win and green jersey at the Tour de France.

What has really eluded him is the classics’ top prizes, and it seems that he has decided on a recipe that will remedy his 2013 classics season. Still, second place at the Strade Bianche, two second-places at Milano-Sanremo and E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, overall at Gent-Wevelgem, second at Ronde van Vlaanderen, first at Brabantse Pijl twelfth at Flèche Wallonne, tenth at the GP de Québec and overall at the GP de Montréal can hardly be considered disappointing.

Plenty of respect to the young Slovak rider though, for insisting on improvements.

"Year after year I'm learning more about myself and what I can do," he said to Cyclingnews.

"That's giving me even more confidence. I don’t have to win the very first races I ride anymore because I know I can be competitive in the really big races. That means I can prepare specifically for the races that matter. I still want to win a lot in 2014 but I want to win the big races too."

Perhaps he is not the Cannibal’s successor after all… But does it really matter if he instead wins multiple monuments and the Tour’s jersey?