SPECIAL | Visiting Peter Sagan's shrine in Slovakia: how to sleep in the same bed as the three-time world champion

A few days ago we visited the facilities of the SP resort, the new hotel that Peter Sagan has opened in Zilina, his hometown in Slovakia;

Halfway between the Tatra Mountains, a beautiful mountain range that serves as a border between northern Slovakia and southern Poland and now in summer time is full of tourists eager to enjoy the mountains and get away from the hotter areas of the Danube plain, and the capital, Bratislava, is Zilina, a town of just over 80,000 inhabitants in which Peter Sagan was born and lived the first years of his life.

It can not be said that this is the most beautiful city in the world, although the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity has its charm and in Marianka Square you can have a very good Czech beer at a very good price and with a very good atmosphere. Beyond this, the best is in its surroundings, taking advantage of the passage of the Vah River, one of the largest in the area, and the beginning of several mountain ranges;

All this dotted with several castles, such as Strecno, make the area a good place to enjoy a canoe ride, a bike ride, hiking in the area of the mountain range Malá Fatra or relax in thermal water areas (many offers Spa and swimming pools).

In this idyllic setting lived the good Peter Sagan the first years of his life and to this idyllic setting he wanted to return to found his first major project just as his extraordinary career was coming to an end. Thus, on the outskirts of Zilinase is the SP resort of the three-time world champion which, located on a hill, has privileged views of the area;

The resort seems tailor-made for Peter: modern, with a lot of class. Upon arrival we found his collection of classic cars and at the reception we came across one of the greatest treasures it contains: the three gold medals of the world championships. Next to them, in the same reception area, there are three clocks with the times of Richmond, Doha and Bergen, the three cities where Sagan became world champion. In a few months they will open a museum there with the hundreds of awards won throughout his career.

The place is designed for 2 types of customers mainly: mythomaniacs of the Slovak star and elite athletes who want to prepare for a competition. And is that all rooms are hypoxic chambers that allow to reproduce the conditions of altitude by lowering the oxygen content in the air (increased red blood cells). In addition, the resort has a complete gym (cardio area with hypoxic system) both indoors and outdoors, with a Spa center that includes a swimming pool, jacuzzi and 3 saunas. Oh, and a restaurant with Italian food (don't forget your stay in the transalpine country).

The hotel has 13 rooms themed with the 13 races that have marked Peter's career: World Championships (World Champion), California, Roubaix, Flanders, MTB, Gravel, Tour, Slovakia, Switzerland, Quebec, Australia, Vuelta and Giro;

It must be said that the World Champion, the most luxurious room, is the one Peter uses when he returns home (last time he did so with his son after the Tour de France before traveling to Glasgow for the World Championship). Thus, one can afford to book the same bed in which the World Champion usually sleeps when he returns to his home town;

In short, Peter has created a sports sanctuary in his native Zilina, trying to bring more international tourism to an area mostly visited by Slovaks seeking to relax in a privileged natural environment.