Peter Sagan facts for kids
Peter Sagan in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Peter Sagan | ||
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| Born | 26 January 1990
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| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Pierre Baguette Cycling | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Puncheur Sprinter Classics specialist |
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| Major wins | |||
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Peter Sagan (born January 26, 1990) is a famous Slovak cyclist. He has competed in both road bicycle racing and mountain bicycle racing. Peter Sagan is known for his amazing talent and many wins.
He had a very successful start in junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing. He even won a junior world championship in mountain biking in 2008. Later, he switched to road racing. Peter Sagan has won 121 road races. In 2024, he plans to return to mountain bike racing.
Many people think Peter Sagan is one of the best cyclists ever. He has won many important races. These include three World Championships in a row. He also won a European Championship. He has won many stages in big races like Paris–Nice and Tirreno–Adriatico. He also won the overall title at the Tour de Pologne and a record seventeen stages at the Tour of California.
After winning the 2017 UCI World Road Race Championships, Sagan wore the special rainbow jersey for all of 2018. This was the third year in a row he wore it, which was a first for any rider!
Contents
- Peter Sagan's Early Life and Amateur Career
- Peter Sagan's Professional Cycling Journey
- Peter Sagan's Personal Life
- Career Achievements
- See also
Peter Sagan's Early Life and Amateur Career
Peter Sagan was born in Žilina, which is now in Slovakia. He is the youngest of four children. His older brother, Juraj Sagan, is also a professional cyclist.
Peter started riding bikes when he was nine years old. He joined a small local club in his hometown. As a junior, he rode both mountain bikes and road bikes. He was known for his unusual style. He often rode in tennis shoes and T-shirts, and only drank water.
One time, Peter got a lot of attention at a Slovak Cup race. He had accidentally sold his own bike. He didn't get a new one from his sponsor in time. So, he borrowed a bike from his sister. It was a simple supermarket bike with bad brakes and limited gears. But Peter still won the race!
Peter Sagan's Professional Cycling Journey
Starting with Dukla Trenčín–Merida (2009)
Peter Sagan got his first chance to be a professional cyclist in 2009. He joined the Dukla Trenčín–Merida team from Slovakia. In 2008, he had already won the Junior Mountain Bike World Championship. He also finished second in a junior cyclo-cross world championship.
Peter really wanted to keep riding mountain bikes. But his managers talked to several road cycling teams. He tried out for a few teams. At first, he didn't get a contract. He was so frustrated he almost quit road cycling. But his family encouraged him to try one more time. He tried out for the Liquigas–Doimo team and got a contract!
Riding for Liquigas–Doimo (2010–2014)
In 2009, Peter signed a contract with the Liquigas team. The team doctors were amazed by how strong he was for a 19-year-old. During training, he was so powerful that he broke more mountain bikes than anyone else. This earned him the nickname "Terminator."
2010: First Big Wins
Liquigas chose Peter for his first big road race, the 2010 Tour Down Under, in January 2010. He was only 19. He crashed in one stage but kept riding with stitches. In another stage, he joined a strong group of riders and finished well.
He won his first two big stages at 2010 Paris–Nice. He wasn't even supposed to be in that race at first! He won by sprinting ahead of other riders. He also won the green jersey for the points classification. Peter's second win came from a solo attack near the finish. He held off the main group to win. After this, his contract was extended.
After winning a stage at the 2010 Tour de Romandie, Peter raced the 2010 Tour of California. He won two stages there. He also won the "young rider" and "sprints" awards. He then raced the 2010 Tour de Suisse. Later in the year, he finished second in the 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.
2011: Grand Tour Debut
In 2011, Peter started the season strong. He won three stages and the overall title at the Giro di Sardegna. He also won a stage and the sprints award at the 2011 Tour of California.
At the 2011 Tour de Suisse, he won two stages. One was a mountain stage, showing he was good on climbs too. He also won the points classification. Then, he raced the 2011 Tour de Pologne, winning two stages and the overall title.
Peter then made his first appearance in a "Grand Tour" race, the 2011 Vuelta a España. He won three stages there. In one stage, he rode very fast downhill to break away from the group. He won the final stage in Madrid too.
2012: Tour de France Green Jersey
Peter started 2012 well, winning a stage in the 2012 Tour of Oman. He also won a stage at 2012 Tirreno–Adriatico. He did very well in the spring "classics" races. He finished fourth in 2012 Milan–San Remo and second in 2012 Gent–Wevelgem. He was also fifth in the 2012 Tour of Flanders and third in the 2012 Amstel Gold Race.
At the 2012 Tour of California, Peter was amazing. He won five stages! He also won the sprints award. This set a new record for stage wins at that race.
He continued his great form at the 2012 Tour de Suisse. He won four stages and the points classification. He even beat a time trial specialist in the opening stage. In one sprint, he squeezed through a tiny gap to win, saying, "you need to invent something to find some space."
Peter Sagan started the 2012 Tour de France. He won the first stage by sprinting up a small hill. He won again on Stage 3, pulling away on a climb. When he crossed the finish line, he did a "running man" dance move! He won a third stage in a group sprint. Peter finished the Tour with three stage wins. He also won the green jersey for the points classification. He even won a special award for being the "most combative" rider.
2013: More Successes
In 2013, Peter's team changed its name to Cannondale. He won his first race of the season at the 2013 Tour of Oman. He won again the next day. He then won the Gran Premio Città di Camaiore. He finished second at 2013 Strade Bianche, helping his teammate win.
He won two stages at 2013 Tirreno–Adriatico. In one stage, he beat famous sprinters in the rain. He also won 2013 Gent–Wevelgem by riding away from the group. He did some wheelies after crossing the finish line! He finished second at the 2013 Tour of Flanders. Peter later apologized for an incident on the podium. He then won the 2013 Brabantse Pijl.
He won two more stages at the 2013 Tour of California. He won the sprints award there for the fourth year in a row. At the 2013 Tour de Suisse, he won two stages and the points classification. He then won the Slovak National Road Race Championships for the third time.
At the 2013 Tour de France, Peter finished second three times before winning Stage 7. His team worked hard to drop other sprinters. He won the green jersey for the points classification again. He even dyed his beard green to celebrate! He also won many stages at the 2013 USA Pro Cycling Challenge and the 2013 Tour of Alberta. He won the 2013 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal by riding solo to the finish.
Because of his great year, Peter was named the Athlete of the Year in Slovakia for the first time.
2014: Consistent Finishes
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In 2014, Peter started with second-place finishes at the Tour de San Luis and 2014 Dubai Tour. He was second again at 2014 Strade Bianche. He won a stage and the points classification at 2014 Tirreno–Adriatico. He then won 2014 E3 Harelbeke and finished third at 2014 Gent–Wevelgem. He also finished sixth at 2014 Paris–Roubaix.
Peter won a stage and the sprints award at the 2014 Tour of California for the fifth year in a row. At the 2014 Tour de France, he had seven top-5 stage finishes in a row. This was a rare achievement! Even though he didn't win a stage, he still won the green jersey for the points classification. He later withdrew from the 2014 Vuelta a España.
Joining Tinkoff–Saxo (2015–2016)
In 2014, Peter Sagan and his brother Juraj signed a three-year contract with the Tinkoff–Saxo team. The team owner said Peter's salary was very high. In November 2014, Peter even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with his new team!
2015: World Champion!
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Peter started 2015 with second-place finishes at the 2015 Tour of Qatar. He then got his first win for his new team at 2015 Tirreno–Adriatico. He also won the points classification there. He finished fourth at 2015 Milan–San Remo and 2015 Tour of Flanders.
After a break, Peter returned at the 2015 Tour of California. He won two stages and, incredibly, won the overall race by just three seconds! He celebrated one win with a no-footed wheelie.
He then raced the 2015 Tour de Suisse. He won two stages and the points classification. He also won both the Slovak National Time Trial Championships and the Slovak National Road Race Championships in his hometown.
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In the 2015 Tour de France, Peter had five second-place finishes. He worked hard for his team leader. He also won the green jersey for the points classification again. He won the "most combative" rider award twice.
Peter finally won a Grand Tour stage at the 2015 Vuelta a España. But he had to leave the race after a crash with a motorcycle. The next month, he won the road race at the UCI Road World Championships! He attacked near the finish and won solo.
2016: Double World Champion and Monument Win
Peter started 2016 with second place at the 2016 Tour de San Luis. He was second at 2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and fourth at 2016 Strade Bianche. He finished second overall at 2016 Tirreno–Adriatico.
He then won his first race as world champion at 2016 Gent–Wevelgem. He was the first world champion to win that race in a long time. He then won his first "Monument" race, the 2016 Tour of Flanders! He rode away from everyone and won solo. He dedicated his win to two cyclists who had recently passed away. A week later, he finished eleventh at 2016 Paris–Roubaix. During that race, he famously "bunny hopped" over a crashed bike to avoid falling!
At the 2016 Tour of California, Peter won two stages. He also won the sprints classification. At the 2016 Tour de Suisse, he won two more stages, setting a new record for stage wins there.
In the 2016 Tour de France, Peter won the second stage and took the yellow jersey as the overall leader. He was surprised he had won! He won another stage by breaking away with other strong riders. He said, "We are artists" when asked about his daring move. He won a third stage in a sprint. He finished second on the final stage in Paris. He won the green jersey again and the "most combative" award for the whole race.
At the Rio Olympics, Peter chose to race mountain biking instead of road racing. He had a flat tire during the race and finished 35th. After that, he won the 2016 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the 2016 European Road Championships. In October, Peter won the road race at the UCI Road World Championships for the second year in a row! He won a group sprint to take the title. In December, he won the prestigious Vélo d'Or award for the best rider of the year.
Riding for Bora–Hansgrohe (2017–2021)
After his old team closed, Peter Sagan signed a new contract with the Bora–Hansgrohe team. He was expected to earn a lot of money each year.
2017: Third World Title
Peter started 2017 with second-place finishes at the 2017 Tour Down Under. He then won his first race of the season at 2017 Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. This was his 90th career win! He won two stages and the points classification at 2017 Tirreno–Adriatico.
At 2017 Milan–San Remo, Peter made a strong move near the finish. He finished second in a very close sprint. At the 2017 Tour of Flanders, he crashed when his handlebar caught on a jacket. This ended his chances of winning. At the 2017 Tour de Suisse, he won two more stages and the points classification.
Sagan won the third stage of the 2017 Tour de France. But after the next stage, he was disqualified. Race officials said he caused another rider to crash. Many people disagreed with this decision. Months later, Peter was officially cleared by the cycling organization. After leaving the Tour, he won a stage at the 2017 Tour de Pologne. He decided to skip another big race to train for the World Championships. In September, Peter won his 100th career race at the 2017 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Two weeks later, Peter Sagan won the road race at the UCI Road World Championships for the third year in a row! He was the first male rider ever to do this.
2018: Paris–Roubaix Victory
Peter started 2018 by winning a race before the 2018 Tour Down Under. He won a stage in the Tour Down Under itself. After the race, he visited the Vatican and gave a special bike to Pope Francis. The bike was later sold for charity. He finished sixth at 2018 Milan–San Remo. He then won 2018 Gent–Wevelgem for a record-tying third time.
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On April 8, Peter Sagan won 2018 Paris–Roubaix, another "Monument" race! He attacked far from the finish and rode with one other rider. He beat him in a sprint at the finish line. He finished fourth at the 2018 Amstel Gold Race. In the 2018 Tour de France, Peter won three stages. He also won the green jersey for the points classification for a record-tying sixth time!
2019–2021: Continued Success
Peter's first win of 2019 was at the 2019 Tour Down Under. He didn't win any of the big spring "classics" races that year, but he did win stages at the 2019 Tour of California and the 2019 Tour de Suisse. At the 2019 Tour de France, he won one stage. He also won the green jersey for the seventh time, setting a new record!
In 2020, Peter started his season in Argentina. He then raced 2020 Paris–Nice before races were stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When racing started again, he finished fourth in two big Italian races. At the 2020 Tour de France, he didn't win a stage. He finished second in the points classification. He was also moved down in one stage after a sprint incident. Peter's last race of the season was the 2020 Giro d'Italia. He won one stage, his only win of the year.
In 2021, Peter finished fourth at 2021 Milan–San Remo again. Before the 2021 Giro d'Italia, he won stages at other races. At the Giro d'Italia, he won a stage for the second year in a row. He then took the lead in the points classification and kept it to win the jersey. After winning the Slovak National Road Race Championships for the seventh time, he raced the 2021 Tour de France. But he had to leave the race early due to an injury. In September, he won the 2021 Okolo Slovenska race overall.
Team TotalEnergies (2022–2023)
In 2021, Peter Sagan signed a two-year contract with the Team TotalEnergies team. His brother and other teammates joined him. He won his first race for the team at the 2022 Tour de Suisse in June. But he had to leave that race after getting sick. The next week, he won his eighth Slovak National Road Race Championships! At the 2022 Tour de France, he didn't finish in the top three of any stage. He finished the season with a seventh-place finish at the World Championships.
On January 27, 2023, Peter Sagan announced that he would stop road cycling at the end of the 2023 season. He wants to try to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in mountain biking. He finished second at the Slovak National Road Race Championships, even after crashing. On October 1, 2023, Peter Sagan finished his professional road cycling career.
Heart Surgery and Return to Road Racing (2024-)
After stopping road cycling to focus on mountain biking for the Olympics, Peter Sagan had a health issue. In February 2024, he was diagnosed with a heart problem. He had two heart surgeries.
Because he missed the start of the mountain bike season, Peter returned to road racing. He signed with a team called Pierre Baguette. He plans to race at the 2024 Tour de Hongrie to get back in shape. As of May 2024, it's not confirmed if he will be able to compete at the 2024 Olympics.
Peter Sagan's Personal Life
Peter Sagan is a Catholic. He met Pope Francis at the Vatican in January 2018.
Peter was married to Katarína Smolková. They got married in 2015 and had a son named Marlon in 2017. They announced their separation in 2018.
An asteroid, 27896 Tourminator, was named after one of Peter Sagan's nicknames. The name Sagan was already used for another asteroid, named after the astronomer Carl Sagan.
Career Achievements
See also
In Spanish: Peter Sagan para niños
