Peter Sagan: "TotalEnergies gave me what I asked for and QuickStep didn't"

With the classics campaign ongoing, Peter Sagan has been struggling with form as he struggled with a second Covid infection during the winter. He's nevertheless still a very present figure in the peloton, as he says so himself.

In a long interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, the Slovakian champion has talked about the transfer rumours that have surged last winter over what team he'd be riding for in 2022. He was reported to be joining Quick-Step as the Belgian team was on Specialized bikes, but Sagan has chosen French TotalEnergies team and has taken with him several riders and also Specialized alongside him.

"I don't know what Patrick [Lefevere] thought. That I would bring my group and they would only work for me? That's not true. I think Patrick never wanted me," Sagan said.

"Maybe he just wanted the noise. He created some attention with that and then disappeared. He told me it was hard to take Sagan because of my group." After some months of rumours, it was later confirmed that Sagn would be joining TotalEnergies where he joined up with Anthony Turgis and Pierre Latour who are currently putting on strong seasons.

"It was an easy decision. I looked at the proposals that were on the table and then I decided. TotalEnergies gave me what I asked for and QuickStep didn't."

With the lack of results so far, with a Top5 in a Tirreno-Adriatico sprint and Milano-Torino, Sagan is far off his expactations so far in the season. In the upcoming monuments he will have a chance to recover, however it is likely that a lot of his focus is already on the Tour de France, where he will have more time to prepare.

"The pressure is greater. There is a need to win. The pressure comes from everywhere. Every year there are new rules about bottles and waste zones, data devices are put under our saddles, there are more races. Nobody can pressure me, only me. Another person can only tell me some facts, say what he thinks or what he wants. I have grown above the pressures, I have had them enough;" he concluded.