Another airport transfer to get to another race. Another phone call with another journalist to kill another 15 minutes of the departure lounge wait. Such has been Peter Sagan’s in-season routine for 14 years now.
But this Friday when the former triple World Champion took a call from Cyclingnews at a Paris airport, he doesn’t seem particularly emotional or concerned that he is en route to the last race of his road career on Sunday.
“A chapter closes, a new one is opening,” is probably the most dramatic comment Sagan makes in the entire interview, a reminder that he’ll still be competing next year in mountain biking, the same discipline where he cut his teeth as a racer.
The comment is made in the matter-of-fact tone of voice that Sagan famously uses for just about every subject, including the fast-approaching end of one of the most notable careers in modern cycling. It hardly feels like an earth-shattering observation. It’s simply the way things are.
As for the last race itself, the category 1.1 Tour de Vendée, Sagan is notably cautious about his chances of making an impact on the French end-of-season race. It’s the context and location of the event – in the home of his TotalEnergies team – that really matters, he says. And in typical Sagan fashion, rather than over-thinking it all, his main priority is getting on with it.
“Oh well, I think after the Tour de France, and the MTB and Road World Championships, my form went down. Then two weeks ago I got sick,” he points out.
“But this race is very important for the team because this part of France is where they are based and they’ve organised a nice goodbye for me to celebrate my career, too. So there are going to be a lot of things to do and it’s going to be a pleasure to go there and see all the people who are supporting us.”
For those secretly hoping that Sunday could see Sagan raise his arms in victory for the 122nd time in his road racing career, it’s true that the mixture of flat and undulating roads of the Vendée are seemingly made for fast finishers who can handle the smaller, punchier climbs well, which more or less sums up Sagan’s strengths. However, Sagan is as deadpan as ever about his options of success.
“The race is going to be four or five hours long and we will see how I feel in that time,” he points out. “Like I said, I’m coming back from sickness. If I can help the guys, I will, or if I’m riding good, then I’ll try something. We’ll see.”
A low-key race like…
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