A young Peter Sagan once said to himself: ‘if it goes wrong on the road, I can always go back to mountain biking’. Since then, the Slovakian has won a record seven green jerseys at the Tour de France, three world titles and numerous Classics, including the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – all while being one of the peloton's chief entertainers.
Ad But the lure of the mountain bike has finally proved too strong, with Sagan set to return to his original discipline as he bids to sign off his career at the Paris Olympics next summer.
Mountain Bike'D-Day' — Ferrand-Prevot hypes up Paris 2024 mountain bike bidYESTERDAY AT 07:03 Speaking to Eurosport Italy ahead of the inaugural UCI Mountain Bike World Series, Sagan talked about his decision to pursue a career on the road, despite his twin interests. “In the junior category, I was able to alternate the two disciplines, then from the U23s I had to decide whether to continue on the road or on the MTB," he said. “When Liquigas [his former team] offered me to become a professional on the road, I accepted immediately.
At the time, it was also easy to take responsibility because road cycling was the best. “After some time, I discovered I made the right choice, but mountain biking has always been my passion.