Peter Sagan on his legacy: 'If people still see me that way, it means I did something right'

Peter Sagan reflected on his influential career and the changing nature of cycling during an interview with Marca in Abu Dhabi, where he has taken up a role as MyWhoosh ambassador following his official retirement in 2024 after racing his home event, the Tour de Slovakia. 

"It doesn't weigh me down at all. I like it. If people still see me that way, it means I did something right and that I left an impression on them. That's nice," Sagan told Marca when asked about being considered by many as the benchmark of modern cycling.

The former three-time world champion, who accumulated 121 professional victories, including seven Tour de France green jerseys and monuments like Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders, stepped away from road racing at 33 after 14 seasons in the professional peloton.

Despite retiring younger than some of his contemporaries, Sagan rejects the idea that he left the sport too soon. "People say I retired early... but I did 14 seasons. I retired from road cycling at 33, and I even did one more year of mountain biking. I don't feel like I left too soon," he said.

Sagan was asked if instinct has become a lost part of the sport and if the fact that Tadej Pogačar wins almost every time he pins on a race number has had an impact. 

"I'm not saying it's boring, but... it's true that sometimes, two hours before the finish, you already know who's going to win. That changes the feeling a bit. In general, yes: everything is much more controlled."

"Science has taken another leap forward. But even when I was racing, it was controlled too: doping controls, weight, nutrition, everything."

The Slovakian also acknowledged and appreciated the current standards being set by the current stars of the sport. "It's a different way of racing, that's for sure. And it's an extremely high level. They put on a great show for the fans."

Whilst Sagan packed a fast finish, which he could rely on plenty at the end of a hard day of racing, the former three time World Champion was able to surprise on many occasions with an attack, including his maiden World title in Richmond, United States in 2015, where he soloed to victory with a late move. 

On whether riders can still possess the element of surprise, Sagan said, "It depends on who you are. For a Van der Poel or a Pogačar, it's not difficult to surprise. For others, perhaps it is."

Looking back on his career as a whole, it’s fair to say that Sagan has no complaints, defining it as “Beautiful.”

When asked about the pressures of being considered a ‘rockstar’ in the peloton, Sagan admitted that he is more busy travelling now than when he was as a rider, but also appreciated the importance of spending more time with his son.

"I travel more now than when I was a cyclist. But what really makes me think is my son. He's eight years old, and I want to spend more time with him, talk to him more, do more things together. And now I can do it."

When asked which race he'd most like to compete in again, Sagan named Milan-San Remo, a race he agonisingly missed out on winning during his career. In La Classicissima, Sagan finished 2nd twice, 4th five times, and had two further top-10 finishes.

Sagan also cited Greg Van Avermaet, Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Mark Cavendish, and Marcel Kittel amongst his greatest and endeared rivals. "I never beat Kittel in a direct sprint: when we were battling for the win, he always came in first."