Peter Sagan, the young Slovakian rider of team Liquigas-Cannondale has made a Tour de France debut this year and won the sprinter’s green jersey. He used a custom-design Cannondale Evo, nicknamed “Tourminator” while achieving this success.

The US-based bicycle company Cannondale supplies bikes to the world-tour team Liquigas-Cannondale. For Peter Sagan, they have pulled out the stops with an impressive rendition of the Terminator (the cyborg assassin played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the classic 1984 science-fiction film) across the front of the team’s SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod.

Despite Tour de France being a race where the very latest products are usually raced, the Liquigas-Cannondale team was on the current Evo, not the new and lighter Evo Nano. The new Evo Nano cuts about 40 grams using an improved carbon-fiber layup.

The Tourminator

Peter Sagan Cannondale SuperSix Evo Tourminator
Peter Sagan’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo, the “Tourminator”

But why the Terminator? Peter Sagan won an incredible five stages, the first four stages in a row, in the Tour of California 2012 edition. So the Cannondale Factory Racing Team gave him the nickname “Terminator” as a result of his power and strength.

This success led to a bet between Peter Sagan and Rory Mason (Cannondale’s Sports marketing director): “If Sagan wins another stage, the Terminator bike would be waiting for him”. All he had to do was win a stage at the Tour de France to claim it, and he successfully did with a fearless finish on the first stage, and also in his first-ever Tour de France stage.

The Slovakian rode the rest of the Tour on his very personalized Cannondale “tourminator”. He won another two stages (Stage 3 with “Forrest Gump” style and Stage 6, “Hulk” style) with his “tourminator”, and won the green jersey after all.

Peter Sagan Cannondale SuperSix Evo Tourminator
Peter Sagan is winning the 3rd stage of Tour de France with “Forrest Gump” style.

A native of Žilina, Slovakia, Peter Sagan destroys opponents like a steamroller. At the end of the 3rd stage from Orchies to Boulogne-sur-Mer, he had enough time on the finish line thanks to a great spurt to enjoy the last meters as sweetly as possible. He waved his hands, imitating the film character of Forrest Gump, who ran for his life.

“I always wanted to do a show for people. When I was younger, I was attracted to such celebratory gestures on television. For example, I loved the Italian motorcyclist Valentino Rossi. After each victory, he made a new victory gesture. I was still waiting to see what he would do. Now I want to invent it too. First I blessed myself and thanked the Lord God. Then I made a gesture according to Forrest Gump,” admitted Sagan, who hugged his father at the finish.

Fans around the world and even members of the other teams are currently impressed by the Slovak “fast train”, who enjoys his debut Tour de France as much as possible. “Sagan? It’s like watching Messi play football,” said Dave Brailsford, head of the Team Sky, which has another fierce sprinter, Mark Cavendish, and the main contender for the overall victory, Bradley Wiggins, onboard.

Peter Sagan Tourminator
Peter Sagan is winning the 6th stage of Tour de France with “Hulk” style, on his Cannondale SuperSix Evo, the “Tourminator”.

Thanks to the success of Peter Sagan, there is a good atmosphere in the Liquigas-Cannondale team. “Thanks to Sagan’s beautiful madness, I discovered the younger Ivan,” 34-year-old Ivan Basso wrote on Twitter.

Respected British journalist Richard Moore advised cyclists on the Tour what to do if they didn’t like Sagan’s celebrations. “If they don’t like them, then there is only one way – they need to beat him,” he said.

Sagan’s frame uses the same components as his Liquigas teammates: a full SRAM Red groupset with Cannondale’s ultra-light Hollowgram Si SL chainset, Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate wheels, Speedplay pedals, a Fizik Aliante saddle, and FSA cockpit. The reported weight of the complete bike is 6.8kg. The SRAM hoods have been color-matched with the frame.

Peter Sagan Cannondale SuperSix Evo Tourminator
The head tube of the “Tourminator”.
Peter Sagan Cannondale SuperSix Evo Tourminator
The head tube of the “Tourminator”, from another angle.

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres

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