Peter Sagan bid farewell to the racing world in 2024 and with his 121 professional victories remains an icon of world cycling. Three World Championships from 2015 to 2017, seven-time green jersey winner at the Tour de France, a Tour of Flanders in 2016 and a Paris-Roubaix in 2018: Sagan was not just a great champion for his sporting results, but thanks to his charisma he is still followed by many enthusiasts today. These days we saw him in Milan where he inaugurated the Slovak House and followed some Olympic races held in the city.
The three-time world champion still rides a bike and does so as a testimonial for important brands and closely follows all cycling races of the year.
"Yes, I like to follow one-day races, especially the great classics and World Championships. I try not to miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix or Gand-Wevelgem, among others" - Sagan said in a recent interview for Belgian media - "For Grand Tours it's a bit different; I usually only watch the last 30 kilometers of stages".
Sagan trains and goes to the gym or rides a bike and even when he's traveling around the world, he doesn't give up staying in shape.
"At the moment I dedicate quite a bit of time to weight training. I still ride a bike, not every day, but every time I have the opportunity, I take out my road bike or mountain bike".
Peter Sagan was born on January 26, 1990 and one of the riders he is currently following most was born exactly ten years later, that is Remco Evenepoel, who turned 26 last January 25th.
"It's true that Remco and I celebrate our birthdays together. He's a rider I like and I think he can do great things".
According to Sagan, the Belgian still has many opportunities to seize and now that he's with Red Bull - Bora Hansgrohe, he has everything he needs to achieve even more success.
"I met Remco several times during my career. I particularly remember San Juan in 2020, which I believe he won. His abilities and power already impressed me back then. We even celebrated our birthdays together, since he was born on January 25th and I on the 26th, but ten years earlier. Honestly, it was already clear that he was different from most other riders. He already had a very strong personality and since then has confirmed he is an extraordinary champion. From a very young age, he stood out for his winning mentality. His ability to be a true 'killer' is also impressive. No matter how important the race is, he's there to win. I like this mentality".
So far, Remco Evenepoel has won only one Monument Classic, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which he has already won twice. "Saying he has only won one Monument seems like an oversimplification, considering he has won World Championships in road and time trial, Olympic gold in road and time trial, and also the Vuelta a España. I am convinced that Remco can win all Monument Classics if he prepares specifically to win them".
The Belgian dreams of winning the Tour de France, a difficult desire to realize, considering that for now Vingegaard and Pogacar are ahead of him.
"I think we should ask his technicians if he can do it. In my opinion, a talent like Remco can win everything, whether it's a Grand Tour or a Monument Classic. But it will depend on his will and the choices he makes. At the moment, Tadej Pogacar is considered far superior to everyone else. He could even be the greatest rider of all time. And beating him is extremely difficult. I hope that Remco's move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will help him close the gap. We'll see, but I really hope to see Pogacar face more opponents in the future".