Peter Sagan: "I want to win again, but no longer for myself"

Peter Sagan is entering a crucial season in his career, where he finds himself in contract year with TotalEnergies and his continuation in pro cycling is uncertain.

"I want to win again, but no longer for myself, as happened before," the former World Champion said in a recent interview. "I still compete for that, but I want to do it for the team, because in recent months they have given me great support and supported me a lot. In the teams I've been to in the past, they only thought about business and victories. If you finished second, you were considered a loser."

Sagan is likely referring to his time at the Tinkoff team where he was at the time the best payed rider in the peloton. Seven green jerseys, three consecutive world titles, Flandres and Roubaix wins later, the Slovakian is past the prime of his career. However he remains a very popular rider, capable of winning in the World Tour. 2022 was a complicated year however due to several health complications.

“Winter makes the difference. Last year I wasn't able to build a good base, both because I started a little late and because of the various physical problems I had," he explains. "The long-covid has conditioned me: I had strange pains in my legs during the races and also in training, even if I was going slowly. Then I always had to chase after and, between races and trips, I didn't have the time to get fully fit".

It was only in the summer that he managed to open his tally, taking wins at the Tour de Suisse and the national championships. "I was happy that day, but also a few other times I came close to victory," the Slovakian said of his victory in Suisse. "However, I have never felt at my best, as in previous seasons."

Sagan finished the season on a high, racing to seventh at the World Championships, a performance that saw him at a high level and form. "I had grown a little on the occasion of the World Championship in Wollongong, it seemed to me that I was closer to the best, but it wasn't enough," Sagan added.

In 2023 he will begin his campaign at the Vuelta a San Juan. His early calendar isn't well known but Sagan is given as a certain to target the cobbled classics and the Tour de France as is usual. The 2023 Glasgow World Championships will also fit his skillset well.

“Last year I said I would quit if I won a World Championship. So, I raced three (road, gravel and E-MTB, ed.). But I feel good with the team, I'm training and I'm making sacrifices every day to prepare for the new season," he concluded.