Three world championships, a record seven Tour de France green jerseys, and numerous classic titles later, Peter Sagan has stubbornly left the record marked "Giro d'Italia" blank for over a decade. But on Saturday in Palermo, that will finally change.

"Peter, welcome, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," one enthusiastic Giro d'Italia reporter asked the 30-year-old Sagan at a press conference on Friday.

However, it would be unwise to anticipate Sagan's success too enthusiastically, despite naturally high local expectations, as hinted at by the nine-time Tour de France and four-time Vuelta participant and Bora-Hansgrohe pro himself.

That's partly because, as a Giro novice, his initial plan - to run the Giro d'Italia in May and then move on to the Tour - was already a voyage in the dark. It is also relatively rare for him to do two Grand Tours in one year. The last time was in 2018, and following a very successful Tour in Paris with three stage wins and a green, he was consistent but not outstanding in the Vuelta a España.

But, of course, what really changed matters was the upheaval in the 2020 calendar that faced the 12-year pro with a whole new challenge, starting with the fact that less than two weeks earlier the Slovakian was fighting on French roads for his eighth green jersey.

"I came back from the Tour de France and I wasn't very good there, nor was I very bad. But I've never ridden two Grand Tours in such a short time. It was a strange year.

"I decided at the beginning of the year to compete in the Giro and I attended the Giro presentation. I'll try to win some stages and see what I can do in the battle for the points jersey."

However, Sagan recognized that preparing for the Giro in such a short time after the Tour de France would not be easy.

His strategy was to "go back to Monaco, spend as much time as I could with my son, do some short training and relax mentally. It was easy."

Only the Giro itself will tell if rest and relaxation will be enough to recharge his batteries. But it is not only the different dates and the intensity of the race calendar that make the Giro an unpredictable event, even for a veteran racer like Sagan.

"Results are not always strictly linked to race conditions. In the Tour, I finished in the top five in six stages. You have to look at who your rivals are early in the race, which riders are getting tired, etc. So we'll see how things progress."

If his 2020 Giro run is an exception, the first race Sagan has missed since 2009 was the recent World Championships. But given its importance in his career, the battle for the rainbow jersey in Imola was almost obligatory for the Slovak to watch last Sunday.

"I saw it on TV and it was very hard. But Julian Alaphilippe will be a great world champion.

But if questions about the World Championships were almost obligatory on Thursday, given his huge fan base, one journalist reminded Sagan that he is also a reference when it comes to how cycling professionals are dealing with pandemics in their supporters and races reminded Sagan that.

"In a way we are relaxed because we are in a bubble and don't have much contact with supporters. But on the other hand, it's hard to put on a mask and test all the time. It's very complicated here and everywhere right now," Sagan said.

"But I can't complain too much. I just have to do what I can in these difficult conditions."

But no matter how strange the year has been, this season remains a difficult one for Sagan himself as a racer, aside from failing to retain the green jersey at the Tour for only the second time since 2012. The 15 months between 2019 and 2020 are also the longest winless period of his career since he won a stage victory and the green jersey at the Tour in 2019.

Sagan was asked if the fact that winning is no longer so easy makes him angry or more motivated, to which he gave a very matter-of-fact answer.

"I've had a lot of good results and I want to keep fighting, but I also understand that there will be ups and downs in my career," Sagan said.

"I didn't race as many races this year, but that has allowed me to stay at the top of the standings."

However, there is no denying that the Giro d'Italia, the final event in the 2020 program, is Sagan's last opportunity to step on the winner's podium. But no matter what happens in the Giro, it will be a whole new racing experience for Sagan.