Featuring 17 teams, the peloton of 2017 Amgen Tour of California will include eight World Champions, including reigning road race champion Peter Sagan, who also holds the record for Amgen Tour of California stage wins (15) and the 2015 race title.
Sagan will be defending the sprint jersey, which he’s won six times, against the likes of Alexander Kristoff, Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb, and Elia Viviani.
“I don’t know why I have been so successful, really,” Sagan said of the Tour of California “I have different characteristics maybe in the climbs and in the sprints. But I just bring what I want. It’s important to have fun. For me, I don’t know. It’s just me, living my life.”
What version of Sagan will show up for the Tour of California this year is unknown. He pedaled as a team rider last year and still won two stages.
“It’s a very nice race and the organisation is very good,” he said. “I can do my time for preparation. I can prepare myself very good in America. I stay here also after the Tour of California. That’s why I just like to be here. Good atmosphere and good weather.”
