Runner up in the stage, second overall!

What does this second place mean for you?I think that both myself and the team can be content. I didn’t take the win but things are looking good for us. Tomorrow is the crucial stage, there are two hard climbs towards the end. The question remains whether we will ride over the first one due to bad weather condition up there. I reckon the Sunday´s stage will be the most decisive.Who do you now see as your biggest rivals?We shouldn’t definitely underestimate Horner as well as other riders who are sitting several seconds behind me. The bottom line is to keep up with the favorites tomorrow, that stage is likely to determine the race. I guess a group of some forty riders will arrive at the finish on Monday and the Tuesday´s time trial is way too short to mix up the overall results.Was it any good that the race organizers canceled the Passo Lanciano climb due to snowfall?It was a really long day anyway. Though we didn’t ride over the climb the length of the stage remained the same. We struggled against strong headwinds and we spent almost seven and a half hours in the saddle. Many riders are not used to riding so long but I did some seven-hour rides in my preparation. This is why, I was quite confident to do well on the uphill finish even though, this kind of hills doesn’t suit me much. It was short and very steep, with a gradient of 15-20 percent. It is always different to ride these climbs after 7 hours of riding.What was your strategy?My teammates did a great job, we were rolling really fast in the last 30km. I knew that I had to  reach the climb in front positions and I managed to do so. At first we played the waiting-game but then we went full gas. Sagan was the strongest one, he is really good at these short steep hills, he is able to use his power. He showed that he is in great shape now.You tried to go out on an attack toward the end…As there were two Liquigas riders in the front groups, I was hoping that they would figure something out. So I went on an attack but I was chased down by the rider I expected the least: Horner. Sagan then just secured the victory but I am happy about my second position in any case.4th stage (Amelia-Chieti, 252 km): 1. Peter Sagan (Svk/Liquigas) 7:24:50, 2. Roman Kreuziger (Cze/Astana), 3. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Liquigas), 4. Danilo Di Luca (Ita/Acqua e Sapone), 5. Chris Horner (USA/ RadioShack-Nissan), 6. Johny Hoogerland (Ned/ Vacansoleil) +8.  Overall: 1. Horner 19:01:54, 2. Roman Kreuziger +7, 3. Cameron Meyer (Aus/GreenEdge) +13, 4. Sagan +21, 5. Di Luca +22, 6. Cancellara (Swi/ RadioShack-Nissan) +30.