Tinkoff-Saxo takes on Tour de Suisse with a strong line-up centered around captain Peter Sagan, who’s back after a successful stint in California to be the squad’s go to guy in the battle for stage wins. Rafal Majka, en route to Tour de France, will get his chance in the GC, while focusing on building shape ahead of July.
 
For Tour de Suisse, Tinkoff-Saxo lines up Peter Sagan, Rafal Majka, Matti Breschel, Daniele Bennati, Michael Mørkøv, Nikolay Trusov, Pavel Brutt and Michael Valgren.
 
“It’s a matter of keeping momentum”, says Tinkoff-Saxo sports director Sean Yates, who adds that “Peter Sagan will get the backing of the team in Tour de Suisse”.
 
“We would like to win a stage or more if possible. We’re looking to keep the momentum we had in May, while focusing on the build-up towards the Tour. With the form Peter Sagan has been showing, he’ll naturally have the support from the team to go for stage wins. It’s a race that suits him well with several lumpy stage finishes and we know that Peter is very good at sprinting uphill. Looking at the profile of the prologue, it suits Peter as well, so he could win there and take the yellow jersey, where we would then defend it to a certain extent”, comments Sean Yates.
 
Peter Sagan reports for duty in-shape and will be back at racing after winning the Amgen Tour of California in May.
 
“I'm very happy and excited to take part in the Tour de Suisse. I'm back racing in Europe and I feel in very good shape. After a very positive Tour of California, I look forward to having more fun with the guys in Switzerland”, says Peter Sagan.

Stage 5 to Sölden stands out as the only proper mountain stage of this year’s edition, but it will be a serious challenge for those with GC ambitions, as the finish line is situated atop a HC-climb at 2669m above sea level. This is where Rafal Majka will come into play, according to Sean Yates.
 
“From what we know, Rafal is going well, which could be promising for stage 5, which is bloody hard and will be a daunting challenge for everyone. But the most important factor is that he builds shape ahead of the Tour, where he will be a very valuable support to Alberto in the high mountains. Rafal wants to try hard and he will try hard to build form, so there’s no pressure on him, but if he has the day, then he can be up there or thereabout. And then we’ll see how he’s positioned in the GC before the final decisive TT”, explains Sean Yates.

There could be several opportunities for Peter Sagan to snatch stage wins along the 1321km nine-stage race. To support the team captain, Tinkoff-Saxo aligns a group of fast riders.
 
“With a rider like Peter on your team you got to support him for the stage wins. We have a combination of guys, who can support him on the road throughout the stages and guys, who have the top speed to lead him into a good position before the final sprint, such as Daniele Bennati, Matti Breschel and Michael Mørkøv. They will of course maximize Peters chances, which is important as we want him to build confidence for the Tour”, finishes Sean Yates.