Tinkoff-Saxo’s Peter Sagan grabbed fourth place after a powerful effort during the 5.1km prologue at Tour de Suisse. The team captain was 5 seconds behind stage winner Tom Dumoulin.
 
After crossing the finish, Sagan says that he had been aiming for the win but looks forward to the coming stages.
 
“I was aiming for the win so I can’t say that I’m completely satisfied. I haven’t raced since Tour of California and I’m expecting my form to increase during Tour de Suisse. It’s always difficult to go from a race break and directly into a short and intensive prologue, so I wouldn’t say that today wasn’t good. I finished fourth, a few seconds behind and I have the chance to make a result during the next stages. We are here with a strong squad and we will give it our best and see what happens”, comments Peter Sagan.
 
The opening stage of Tour de Suisse consisted of 5.1 fast kilometers around Risch-Rotkreuz, where Tom Dumoulin (TGA) took the win five seconds ahead of Peter Sagan. Tinkoff-Saxo’s Rafal Majka finished 20 seconds down – a result that the climber is satisfied with.
 
“I think it went pretty well today. I felt fine considering the route. It’s of course not the type of race that suits me, but I think I can be pleased. I haven’t raced since Tour of Romandie, so it was a good start for me and I hope to build my shape during the race. Stage 5 is of course very important and I now have some stages to find the rhythm. However, I race with the Tour de France in mind and the ultimate goal is to improve and prepare for July. I stayed 15 days on Mt. Etna just before this race and I think my shape is where it should be according to my race plan, but ultimately we have to wait and see what happens during the next days”, says Rafal Majka.

Elaborating on the result, Tinkoff-Saxo’s sports director Sean Yates asserts that the race lead is still within striking range, as the coming days present the riders with undulating stage profiles, which, on paper, should suit the likes of Peter Sagan.
 
“Ultimately, when you have a guy like Peter, who you know has the potential to win, you will be aiming for that win. And we did that today, however in the end he missed five seconds on the line, which is not a lot. With that said, I think he did well in his first stage since the Tour of California and he obviously showed that he has good legs. Now, he’s five seconds off the jersey and we face some stages during the next couple of days, where he can fight for the stages and bonus seconds. He has the backing from the team, who all did their best today and all the guys remain very motivated to support the team ambitions here in Switzerland”, tells Sean Yates before adding:
 
“I was also pleased to see Rafal doing well today. He finished around the same time as the other climbers, gaining a bit of time on Henao, while he lost a few seconds to Pinot. The most important thing is of course that he builds shape for the Tour but I have a feeling that he’ll be there, when the road gets steep during this Tour de Suisse”