PETER SAGAN SPEAKS TO EUROSPORT AHEAD OF SAGAN SATURDAY
Sagan Saturday airs this weekend (Saturday 2 May) and the brilliant Peter Sagan spoke to Eurosport to talk about some of his career highlights as well as the team he competes for - BORA-hansgrohe.
Eurosport is showing some of your greatest races this weekend. Which are the ones which stand out for you?
Well I have to say that the three World Championships stand out for me. Every one was a special moment. Then definitely Flanders, Roubaix and then the Tour de France winning a stage and taking the green jersey. They are the ones also in my mind.
Ten years have passed since your first professional victory (Paris-Nice 2010). Can you remember it? What was Peter Sagan ten years ago?
It was 2010 and after I had raced a few times in Italy, I got to Paris-Nice and said that this was the first real big race that season for me. I was thinking that I didn’t want that much from the season, for me it was enough to just to win some stages. Not only Paris-Nice, but other races too. In Paris-Nice, I said that victory is not too far away and we had an opportunity to do a very good prologue, I got fifth place. The second stage was more or less a flat stage but that had a small hill. I was supposed to do the sprint for Quique, in the last climb he lost a little bit and I found myself in front. It was here I found myself to sprint, and I started to sprint to the finish and I was leading the last 30 metres. One guy from Movistar then passed me and I started sprinting to the line and got hungrier for the victory. A day later I won my first stage.
How do you remember your historic performance at Paris-Roubaix 2018?
It was a crazy day. I did a lot of Paris-Roubaix before and I faced a lot of different situations. It’s a very unpredictable race. Always you have to be calm all race. After when I went to the breakaway, I caught the first group. After that was the famous moment with the Alan key. In the end, I made it and it was a beautiful memory.
What makes BORA-hansgrohe so special compared to the other teams you have ridden for?
Having raced for Liquigas-Doimo and Tinkoff I found myself with the BORA-hansgrohe team. I have always tried to grow and the team all around me has grown too. BORA-hansgrohe is a team with a lot of respect and it gives me the platform to compete in the best shape for my performances. I happy with the BORA-hansgrohe team and they are happy – we are always moving forward. I appreciate they give me a lot of trust and our relationship is still going forward and I think we are good.
If the BORA-hansgrohe team where an Band: What would be you're role? Singer, Drummer, Roadie...?
I think with my character I would need to be the singer!
BORA-hansgrohe is famous for music around the team bus - what song would describe/capture the spirit of the team?
Well we do have a team playlist, and there are some songs we like. It is all very different. I much more about the punk-rock, something like that. Music at the front of the bus is something very new for cycling!
Sagan Saturday, Saturday 2 May 2020 (all times CEST, check local listings for programming information)
14:00-15:30 - 2016 Tour of Flanders
15:30-17:00 - 2017 UCI Road World Championships
17:00-18:30 – 2018 Paris-Roubaix
18:30-19:00 – Sagan & Co: Band of Brothers