Widely tipped as the pre-race favourite after a very impressive series of performances Peter Sagan (Cannondale) failed to make much of an impression in the Dutch Classic Amstel Gold Race.

“My performance today was not what I expected” explained Sagan. “When I was riding in the peloton the feeling was good, and then in the finale, when I tried to get up on the pedals, I felt cramps. I think the warmth played a role today. In the last two months I always raced with low temperatures, and today my legs suffered the change of the weather. The total km of the race didn’t affect the performance, because in such long and hard races as Flanders and San Remo the result was good. And I don’t think it is a matter of tiredness; the schedules were almost the same as last year. It was simply a not good day with cramps.”

“I always think positive, also if the result was not what I wanted. My Classics’ season has been great and I’m happy anyway: I can’t get down just because of one performance. For the Flèche Wallonne I’ll decide tomorrow morning together with the team if I’ll race or not” concluded Sagan.