According to the invitation, we were gathering to celebrate Peter Sagan’s 33rd birthday on the rest day of the Vuelta a San Juan. But upon arriving at the Autodrome Villicum outside of San Juan, it was clear that this was not going to be an ordinary press conference.
Underneath the press tent a video recapping Sagan’s many career highlights looped repeatedly. When Sagan finally arrived, with all of his longtime team-mates and staff wearing Sagan branded t-shirts, there was an imminent sense of finality.
Sitting down between Maciej Bodnar and Daniel Oss, his two most faithful teammates, and his sports director, mechanic, massage therapist, as well as his manager and press officer, Sagan went straight to the point.
“Thank you very much everyone for coming here to my birthday and I think you can already guess what I would like to announce tonight. We have all of my group here and I would like to say that the moment arrived. I’ve decided that I would like to finish my last year with WorldTour races.”
Sagan insisted that he was not retiring from the sport, as he plans to focus on mountain biking in 2024, with the Paris Olympic Games serving as his final objective. He even added that we may well see him in select road races as preparation for his off-road objectives next year. But the Peter Sagan that we know today, will finish at the end of the 2023 season.
“The time arrived,” he said to a group of journalists after the official announcement. “When I was in my 20s I said that I wanted to finish my career in my 30s, and now I am 33. Also, I always said that I wanted to finish my career with the mountain bike. I started my career on the mountain bike, and I would like to finish with the mountain bike. This gives me a chance to try something that I really like for a year and then we will see.”
But while sporting interests played a big factor in his decision, a final factor was more personal. “And there is Marlon,” Sagan said, referring to his son. “I have already lost him so much over the past five years being in and out, in and out. It is important for me to spend time with him and see life from a different angle, not just as a cyclist.”
But while Sagan is clear that 2023 will be his final season as a road cyclist, he is committed to racing for victory until the end of the season. Already it is evident here in San Juan, that we are seeing Sagan at, or near, his best. He has been in the mix in every stage so far….