Peter Sagan has proclaimed the 2019 incarnation of Bora-Hansgrohe as their strongest Classics squad yet following a number of shrewd signings in the transfer market. The German team were already among the strongest squads in the world when it came to the one-day race scene due to Sagan`s success and the key acquisition of Daniel Oss for the start of the 2018 season, but they have recruited wisely ahead of the coming campaign with veteran Oscar Gatto joining from Astana, while Jempy Drucker and all-rounder Maximilian Schachmann have signed from BMC Racing and Quick-Step Floors, respectively. Speaking exclusively to Cyclingnews at the Bora-Hansgrohe training camp in Mallorca, Sagan outlined his Spring campaign for the coming year, his plans to gain experience in a Liege-Bastogne-Liege and his thoughts on Milan-San Remo.ADVERTISEMENT `For next year I think we have the most complete Classics team we`ve had,` Sagan told Cyclingnews. Schachmann is likely to have a run at the Ardennes Classics, while Drucker has the ability and experience to fit straight into Sagan`s cobbles crew. Gatto, 34 at the start of 2019, is another key signing and the Italian will bring valuable experience to the German team. For Sagan, already a friend of the Astana rider, Gatto`s arrival will bring a sense of calm. `We are making upgrades every year, and it`s nice to see how the team is improving each year. We`ll see what Gatto brings to the team. He brings a lot of experience and he can manage a lot of situations in important moments. Having him with us means you don`t have to explain to maybe a much younger rider what to do. We know that he`ll work and that he has a big engine. He won`t make mistakes, and maybe you lose something with age, but he already knows what to do, so no energy is wasted. That means you can be really 100 per cent relaxed and be confident. I know he`ll be there at the right moment.`
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