Sagan testing a Specialized Venge ViAS Disc bike before Tour Down Under

Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) has been test riding a Specialized Venge ViAS Disc while he and his team are in Australia preparing for the upcoming 2017 Tour Down Under, but there is no word on whether the World Champion will use the bike in the races.

Cyclingnews snapped the photos of the bike, which is different from the one he posted photos of on Twitter in December, at the team hotel, where Sagan and his new teammates are preparing for the first WorldTour race of the new season. Sagan told Cyclingnews editor Daniel Benson that he is open to the idea of using disc brakes.

The Specialized Venge ViAS Disc is normally fitted with Shimano flat mount hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm front and 140mm rear rotors.

The Tour Down Under takes place January 17-22, with the People's Choice Classic warm-up criterium starting things off on January 15.

The UCI decided late last year it would allow another disc brake trial after an initial test period in 2015 and 2016 ended abruptly when Fran Ventoso suffered a deep gash to his leg at Paris-Roubaix in April.

The decision to reinstate the disc brake trial came after months of discussions with teams, riders and industry representatives, along with the support from Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) and Association Internationale des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels (AIGCP).

Cannondale-Drapac will debut its SuperSix EVO Hi-MOD disc brake bikes at the Ruta del Sol at the end of this month, but are using standard rim brake machines at the Tour Down Under. Tom Bonnen (Quick-Step Floors) has also been riding a Specialized Venge with disc brakes.

Sagan open minded about racing disc brakes at TDU. First time he's tested it here during training.

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