Team Saxo-Tinkoff will make the start in the anniversary edition of the Tour de France with an experienced crew who have suffered first hand several times.
Italian Matteo Tosatto is the team’s most experienced rider and indispensable as road captain. As many as 10 stages of the Giro d’Italia, 8 times Tour de France, 7 times Vuelta a Espana on his resume, making him the field’s most experienced rider. Tosatto has even won a stage in both the Tour and the Giro. It is dangerous to underestimate his importance on a team that going for general classification.
Here he expresses his thoughts on his ninth Tour de France and his 26 Grand Tour:
“The Tour is a special race for me. It is the hardest and most stressful stage race with a huge media focus, in particular the first week of the race. I’m happy to participate this year as it is the 100th version. My role in this year’s Tour will be to protect Alberto on the flat sections and in the hilly terrain where it is important to position correctly in the field to avoid being caught behind and to prevent being involved in accidents,” says the strong Italian who is not afraid to use elbows to get ahead in the field.
He continues: “In my opinion, Chris Froome and Joaquim Rodriguez are the most dangerous opponents in this year’s mountainous Tour. We see Sky as a strong team for both the flat stages and in the mountains, and I think it will be a close race. To help Alberto to victory will be the culmination of a long process on the team and I am proud to be involved in trying to make the dream of winning the most important and fascinating race a reality.”
