Selfies here, autographs there. Peter Sagan hasn’t lost his good humor yet. Taking time for his numerous fans is still a matter of honor for the Slovakian top rider – despite the disappointing Tour de France so far. Because the “rock star of cycling” is often miles behind the great successes of the past.
“I was in a good position, everything was good. But something was missing,” he said after the third stage, in which the former subscription winner of the green jersey finished fourth in the mass sprint. Sagan’s statement that it is symbolic of his tour history so far.
Three days after said sprint arrival, the 2018 Paris-Roubaix winner was considered a candidate for victory on the extremely demanding cobblestone stage to Arenberg – and ended up 147th, 11:42 minutes behind. His performance at the crisp finish was similarly disappointing Longwy, where Sagan triumphed in 2017. With the success of tour dominator Tadej Pogacar, he had to be torn down early and finished 74th.
“He’s still perhaps the best sprinter when things get complicated,” says team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau about his captain in Team TotalEnergies: “The good news is: Peter Sagan is really good.” The results so far, however, speak a different language and should not really satisfy anyone in the French team – especially not Sagan himself.
“The victories don’t just keep coming”
Because the eccentric Slovak is extraordinarily spoiled by success: Sagan took the green jersey of the driver with the best points seven times and won twelve stages in the Tour of France. Between 2015 and 2017 he slipped into the road world champion’s rainbow jersey three times in a row, as well as successes at important spring classics. According to the French L’Equipe, he was also the best-paid professional cyclist in the world in 2020 with an annual salary of around five million euros.
The German team Bora-hansgrohe, which is said to have paid this princely salary to Sagan at the time, naturally took note of this year’s achievements of the now 32-year-old. “He lacks self-confidence. The victories don’t come around all the time,” said team manager Ralph Denk of ARD. Sagan’s age and 13 long years in the professional business also played a role, according to Denk: “Then the physical and mental energy also dwindles”.
Sagan drove for the racing team from Raubling in Upper Bavaria for five years before they parted ways at the beginning of this year. As it currently looks, from a Bora point of view at the right time.