Showman, villain, entertainer, series winner: Sagan won 18 stages of the Tour de Suisse: the rock star leaves the stage

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A regular racer? Peter Sagan (33) is anything but that. The Slovak moves the motorcycle fans like no other. “Why so serious?” (Why so serious?) he had stabbed his upper body. In addition, a photo of him with a wild mane, based on Batman’s Joker.

Sagan sees the sport as a show stage, almost nothing annoys him more than the bourgeoisie. Above all, Sagan is one of the best in history. Thanks to his toughness in one-day races and sprinting speed, he won 114 races. Including: 3 world titles in a row (2015-2017), the Tour of Flanders (2016), Paris-Roubaix (2018), 12 stages and 7 times the points classification in the Tour de France. In the Tour de Suisse he has 18 victories. File.

Banned by the UCI – wrongly

The end of the season is over, Sagan doesn’t like it anymore. The rock star is on a farewell tour, also in Switzerland. He will not only be remembered for his triumphs. When Fabian Cancellara was kissed on stage by two bridesmaids after his 2013 Tour of Flanders victory, Sagan squeezed one of them on the buttocks. “I promise to show more respect in the future,” he apologized shortly afterwards.

Sagan was also often accused of disrespect in the races. Many were disturbed by the fact that he celebrated sprint victories well before the finish. Was it a mockery of his opponents? The truth is: Sagan was so superior he could afford it. That was not always the case. In 2017 he pushed Britain’s Mark Cavendish into the gang at top speed at the finish – the Brit broke his shoulder blade, Sagan was pulled from the race by the UCI. Further analysis showed that the Slovak had been touched before – he was acquitted.

«Devil and angel in one person»

Sagan is an artist on a bicycle, hardly anyone controls his bicycle so well. His wheelies, in which he drives with the front wheel in the air, bring his fans into ecstasy. With his sometimes rowdy driving style, he was not always well received by his colleagues.

Silvan Dillier (32) finished second at Paris-Roubaix five years ago after a long run with Sagan. He recalls: “Even then I described Peter as a devil and an angel in one person. That’s how I’ll remember him. He was sensational and commanded a lot of respect in the peloton, but at the same time he didn’t always respect others.”

For years, Sagan toured from race to race in a motorhome with large letters written on the motorhome. “They make fun of me for being different. I laugh at them because they are all the same.” Translated: “They laugh at me because I am different. I laugh at them because they are all the same.”

Twice as many followers as Pogacar

Sagan grew up in humble circumstances and was very successful early on. He was rumored to be making 6 million francs a year in his prime. For a long time he maintained a hipster image, with long hair, tattoos and a beard. He often did not shave his legs – a sacrilege in cycling.

His childish demeanor in interviews was inspiring and the gummy bear fan was always up for a joke. He has 1.9 million followers on Instagram, more than twice as many as today’s top cyclist, two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogarcar (23, Slo).

Through Switzerland with son Marlon

But what’s next for Sagan after his career? Four years ago he told Blick: “I would like to get to know Switzerland in peace. Preferably with my son Marlon. It’s the biggest win of my life. He can then say where we are going with the camper.” Sagan will have time for that soon enough.

Source : Blick