Peter and Juraj Sagan have and are one of the most popular duos of brothers in the peloton, however 2022 will be their final years racing together as Juraj Sagan is set to retire after a long career in the peloton.
In a post on Facebook, Peter Sagan wrote a small tribute to his brother: "There is no doubt that, for any rider, the World Championship race is a remarkable one. It's where you can earn the unique right and privilege to wear the distinctive rainbow jersey for one year. However, for me, today is an emotional day for an additional, special, reason. Today is the last day that I will officially share a race course with a rider that is my brother, my teammate, and my best friend," the former World Champion revealed, confirming rumours that had been said earlier in the year.
In the post, the TotalEnergies rider said that "Juraj will retire from professional cycling at the end of the year, so Wollongong will mark his official career finale." The 33-year old did not conclude the World Championships, however was in the breakaway of the day for 200 kilometers and managed to send his goodbyes to the peloton on a high.
Both signed a pro contract in 2010 with the former Liquigas-Doimo World Tour team, and as Peter Sagan's success and popularity grew immensely over the years, he was able to influence his brother Juraj into having a pro contract alongside, with riders such as Daniel Oss and Maciej Bodnar alongside, and the bike brand Specialized of which he is an ambassador. The Slovakian duo raced together in the Italian team, the disbanded Tinkoff team, BORA - hansgrohe and finally, TotalEnergies - where Peter Sagan will remain for the coming season.
Although never reaching the same success, Juraj Sagan went on to become a loyal and trusted piece of the former World Champion's success in his triple-title campaign, aswell as his wins at the Tour des Flandres, Paris-Roubaix and countless other reputable titles. He has taken throughout his career four pro wins, all of which came in the national championships, and has raced a total of 13 monuments.
"Thank you, my brother, for always standing by my side, on good and bad days. Thank you for everything you did for me all these years, on and off the bike. I'm sure the peloton will miss you," Peter Sagan concluded.