Sagan, king of California, back for seventh tour

Peter Sagan made his United States debut seven seasons ago as a first-year ProTour rider — less than a year after he nearly quit cycling. He’s now the sport’s reigning showman, reigning world champion, and capable of winning nearly any race he enters.

Sagan’s tenure at the Amgen Tour of California is an ideal example of his dominance. After winning two stages of Paris-Nice and another stage at the Tour de Romandie, the 20-year-old arrived at the 2010 Tour of California in an uncertain role — he was a late entry on the squad. But he won on a flat, windy day in Bakersfield in stage 5 and followed the next day with a win in the first mountain finish in the race’s history at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Sagan and Italian teammate Francesco Bellotti, who was riding in the last year of his career, were the only two Liquigas riders to finish the race, with Sagan’s two wins vaulting him to eighth overall, trailing winner and future Tinkoff teammate Michael Rogers by 2:06.

This came only a year after Quick-Step declined to offer him a contract after a try-out in 2009. Fortunately, his parents encouraged the 2008 junior mountain bike world champion to persevere, and he landed with the Italian team, where he raced for five seasons.

“The first time for me at the Tour of California was a very nice …

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