There was no public pomp and ceremony when Peter Sagan came to a stop on the Champs Élysées in July, after completing the final Tour de France of his career.
It seemed odd given the Slovakian’s contribution to the race and to road cycling in general.
For the better part of a decade, Sagan was a force unto himself on the road – one man with the same stature as all of Team Sky. At the Tour de France, he became synonymous with the green jersey, winning it a record seven times.
The cycling world were fascinated by his eccentricities and adored his mono-wheeling flair and riding ability. Rivals refused to work with him, such was his strength. But Sagan always found a way, as three world championships, plus victories at Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, and in all the Grand Tours attest.
At the Tour in pursuit of the maillot vert nothing was too big or small – nothing too lofty or beneath him. He’d contest every bunch kick, even with the knowledge he couldn’t beat the pure sprinters.
He’d beat the best puncheurs to stage victories. He’d also physically push himself to the point his eyes rolled into the back of his head for isolated intermediate primes on tough terrain and in sweltering conditions when no one else bothered – or could – leave the safety of the peloton for.
Sagan was pictured with a cigar in hand on the Champs Élysées in July, which like him, and the bunch has changed a lot since the 33-year-old first rose to prominence at the race in 2012, when he won three stages and the green jersey on debut.
Then, watching the final stage in Paris was free. Now you’re hard-pressed to see the cobbled strip through the VIP and hospitality tents that line out along both sides of the road, the money-making scene resembling a Hunger Games-esque Capitol rather than capital.
Peter Sagan signing autographs at the Tour de France
His marketing manager Gabriele Uboldi, who Sagan describes as his “right hand”, had tipped earlier in the race that the emotions may come when the end neared. But on the Champs Elysees Sagan was blunt.
When Cyclingnews asked if he’d miss the Tour, he said: “Well, as a rider, I think not.”
Why was that?
“Try to go that hard how we are going and maybe you understand why.”
Fast forward a few months to a luxury hotel in Singapore and his outlook starts to make sense.
Sagan stands out in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental, where he greets other riders nearby, outstretching his hand.
Uboldi is by his…
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