"It affected me deeply" - Peter Sagan reflects on dangers of road racing after Gino Mäder's tragic death
Cycling
Although Peter Sagan maintains an ambition to compete at the Olympic Games this summer on the Mountain Bike, the Slovakian's days in the professional road cycling peloton have now come to a conclusion.
Sitting down for an in-depth interview with Blick, Sagan was asked if there is anything he misses from life as a professional road racer. “No, nothing!” the 34-year-old responds in typical Sagan-style with a shrug of the shoulders. “It's all about suffering and making sacrifices in training - but in the end, mountain biking is what I always wanted to do from a young age.”
Read also
Recently however, Sagan was dealt a shock blow when the Slovakian was taken to hospital after a race and forced to undergo surgery following heart irregularities. Whilst he insists he will be back on his bike soon, Sagan understands this makes his Olympic dream more of a challenge. “It's going to be very difficult. The chances are probably zero – but we’ll see,” he assesses.
Such an ordeal also made Sagan reflect on one of the big events of his final season on the road. The tragic passing of Gino Mäder following a crash on a descent at the Tour de Suisse. “I was very sad after his death. He belonged to the younger generation, I didn't have much contact with him and yet it affected me deeply," Sagan recalls. "That was a great tragedy for cycling.”
Sagan is keen to emphasize however, this tragic incident didn't affect his decision to call time on his road career. “I already had a clear idea in January of what I wanted to do next," he explains in conclusion.
Read also
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment