Olympics-Cycling-Sagan ready for mountain bike challenge in Rio (Reuters)

By Martyn Herman RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 4 (Reuters) – Road world champion Peter Sagan says he is ready to challenge for Olympic gold after confirming on Thursday that he will return to his mountain bike roots and contest the cross-country race at the Rio Olympics. While his usual rivals prepare for Saturday’s road race, Slovakian Sagan will have to wait until the final day of the Games to attempt to win a gold medal. “I’m proud to be able to race the most important mountain bike race in the calendar at the biggest sports event in the world,” Sagan said in a statement from his Tinkoff team.