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Peter Sagan (34) was considered the last rock ‘n’ roller in the cycling world. As a showman, eccentric and free spirit with sometimes noisy tendencies. And as a man of direct approach. This has now become clear again, a few months after his retirement as a road racer, when he had a clear answer ready in an interview with Blick. When asked if he misses anything about cycling, he shrugs: “No, nothing!”
He always found mountain biking more fun, which the three-time road world champion has now completely switched to: “It’s all about suffering and sacrifice during training – but ultimately mountain biking is what I always wanted to do from an early age. age.”
Sagan sits on a couch in an office at Löwenplatz in Zurich. He is here because he is participating in the trading championship of his sponsor FlowBank – with a virtual starting capital of 100,000 francs. Sagan doesn’t make it easy; he sits hunched over for the entire conversation, as if to emphasize his words.
“The chance is probably almost zero”
The Slovakian explains that he can now really pursue his passion for mountain biking. And he talks about being able to go to work ‘without pressure’. Of course, that cannot be entirely true in his case, because the superstar with 1.9 million Instagram followers already set his sights on the 2024 Olympic Games last year. But so far there has been a lack of implementation. The Slovak points with which he could start in Paris are missing.
Here too he does not hide anything: “It will be very difficult. The chance is probably zero, but we’ll see.” It is quite possible that Swiss mountain bike fans will see him in Crans-Montana in June, but the deadline for Olympic qualification has already passed. Sagan must step on the gas until the end of May if he wants to achieve “the impossible”.
However, recently – after the conversation with Blick – he suffered a setback from heart surgery. After being diagnosed with an unusually high heart rate a week ago, Sagan immediately sought medical attention. After the successful operation, he wrote on Instagram: “Everything is under control. I’ll be back on the bike soon.”
It is unlikely that Sagan will be out for long, but time is running out. Sagan also makes it clear that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you weren’t there in Paris. His focus is on enjoyment. He appreciated the three weeks of training in South Africa with Nino Schurter (37), whom he describes as a “legend” and “nice guy”. Spending time with his son Marlon (6) is also important to him.
So far he has no interest in cycling, which is fine with his father. “I’m glad he’s not driving,” says Sagan, laughing. He knows all too well how much risk is involved. Still, he adds, “Ultimately it’s his decision. It’s nice that he plays sports. He is currently trying out football and tennis. But I will never force him to do anything.”
The sporting world learned again how dangerous road racing can be last June, when Swiss Gino Mäder (†26) succumbed to injuries after a fall in the Tour of Switzerland. Sagan says: “I was very sad after his death. He belonged to the younger generation, I didn’t have much contact with him and yet it touched me deeply. That was a great tragedy for cycling.”
“I’m old school there”
Sagan wants to emphasize that this had no influence on his decision to leave the WorldTour road races behind him at the end of 2023: “I already had a clear idea in January of what I wanted to do next.” Initially with mountain biking. Other options would likely open up later, he says. It is “not impossible” that he would one day take over a team like Fabian Cancellara (42, Tudor Pro Cycling).
He would also like to read up on the financial world because of trade competition. “This is also about risk, although privately I would be more of a security person with real money,” says Sagan, who still prefers cash in everyday life: “I’m old-fashioned.” This may not come as a surprise to the man who has gone his own way throughout his career.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
