Originally Posted by
one4smoke
I'll be rooting for Sagan, but just don't think he can hang with the likes of van Aert and van der Poel. If wet, obviously bike handling skills will be more prominent. I'd think van der Poel would be the favorite then. Maybe, just maybe Sagan in adverse conditions if he stays upright.
Having said that, it'll probably be someone like Stybar, Asgreen or Lampaert.
van Aert comes from the same CX background as MvdP, so both of them have a leg up
. In this respect, they overshadow Sagan. Not so long ago, Sagan's bike handling was a significant advantage over the rest of the road peloton. But WvA and MvdP overshadow him in bike handling also. Just watch any of their epic CX battles in horrible conditions.
Plus, he doesn't have their power.
Edit: If MvdP is still concerned about his back, that's a disadvantage for his bike handling.