Tinkoff-Saxo embarks on the 10th anniversary edition of Amgen Tour of California with a fast team headed by team captain Peter Sagan. The focus is on stage wins during the 1,156km quest but talented Jay McCarthy could equally have a go in the search for a GC result on the decisive Mt. Baldy.
 
Come Sunday in Sacramento, Tinkoff-Saxo aligns a squad consisting of riders returning from a break after a long stint at the spring classics as well as teammates coming fresh off the back of racing in Turkey. Sports director Tristan Hoffman notes that the clear team leader is Peter Sagan aiming for stage wins, while other riders could have a dig along the way.
 
“Peter Sagan is our leader in California following a break after the Classics. We think he had a good buildup towards this race and our goal this year is for him to win stages, having had in the past nice victories as well. We have a very strong train and all our riders are in good shape. A number of stages are a little bit harder, where we could try to drop some sprinters, giving Peter the opportunity to win but he will also try in the flat stages from the onset. I saw the final starting lineup and there’s a number of equally fast riders, so we expect a high-level, competitive peloton”, says Tristan Hoffman and adds:

“Jay McCarthy comes directly from the Tour of Turkey, where he made a very big step forward and he might make another one here. Stage 7 with the climb to Mt. Baldy will prove very tough for him but he could be able to survive and stay as long as possible with the best. He must also do a good individual time-trial on the 24.2km stage 6. For the TT we also have Maciej Bodnar, who is a proven time-trialist”.
 
Tinkoff-Saxo’s squad for Amgen Tour of California includes Peter Sagan, Maciej Bodnar, Jay McCarthy, Daniele Bennati, Michael Mørkøv, Michael Kolar, Matti Breschel and Jesús Hernández.
 
Spanning 1,156 kilometers over the course of eight stages, the 10th edition of Tour of California takes the riders from Sacramento to Southern California and Pasadena for the final stage. Besides fully supporting Peter Sagan on flat and hilly stages, Tinkoff-Saxo is also eyeing opportunities with 22-year old Jay McCarthy, who tells that he has returned to California with a morale boost in the luggage.
 
“I was surprised with my first good result in Turkey but that acted as a boost to my confidence which in turn led to more good results. As my confidence in myself grew the good results continued and hopefully I can hold on here in the Tour of California. The team has given me a chance and I might be able to go for the GC but of course our leader here is Peter Sagan and we will all have to look after him in the sprints”, says Jay McCarthy, who participated in his first Tour of California at the age of 20.

“My first Tour of California was two years ago with Tinkoff-Saxo and Mick Rogers as our leader, who finished second overall. I was in pretty good shape as well and I felt I had supported Rogers as much as I could. I look forward to racing once again here. There’s only one hard uphill finish and together with the time-trial it will be the two days that will affect the GC.  However, even the early stages can be open and very windy, so we will have to look at the race day by day and see what possibilities arise", concludes Jay McCarthy.