Peter Sagan
Encyclopedia
Peter Sagan is a Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...

 team . Sagan had a successful junior mountain bike racing
Mountain bike racing
The Union Cycliste Internationale recognised the sport of mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North...

 career, winning the Junior World Championship in 2008, before moving to road racing
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...

.

At the age of 21 Sagan is considered to be one of cycling's most promising talents, having won two stages at Paris–Nice, one at the Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....

, two and the overall classification at the Tour de Pologne
Tour de Pologne
The Tour de Pologne is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928. Until 1952 the race was held sporadically, but since then it has been an annual race...

, three at the Tour of California, two at the Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

, three at the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

 as well as the overall classification and three stages of the Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna is a stage road bicycle race held on the island of Sardinia, an Italian region. The race returned in 2009 after 11 years. It is now rated 2.1 and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...

.

Early years

Sagan started to ride bikes at the age of nine when he joined Cyklistický spolok Žilina, a small local club in his home town. Throughout his junior age Sagan rode both mountain bikes and road bikes, and was well known for his unconventional style to ride in tennis shoes and t-shirts, drinking just pure water. Sagan drew a significant attention when he appeared at the Slovak Cup with a bicycle borrowed off his sister after he had mistakenly sold his own and the one from VeloSprint sponsor was delayed. Riding the supermarket bike with poor brakes and limited gear, he won the race.

Professional beginnings

Sagan got his first taste of professional cycling when he was hired by the Dukla Trenčín Mérida team, a Slovak outfit in the Continental Pro (second) division. In 2008, he won the Junior World Championship on the mountain bike in Vale di Sole. That same year, he also finished second at Cyclocross Junior World Championships in Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...

 and the Junior Paris–Roubaix.

Sagan joined a Pro Tour team Quick Step for road testing but he failed to get a contract. His frustration was so deep that he decided to quit road cycling, however pressed by his family he gave it a try to Liquigas-Doimo and succeeded. Liquigas' Zanatta offered Sagan a two-year contract (2010–2011) with an option to ride mountain bikes for Cannondale. The contract has been prolonged until 2012 in April 2010. Liquigas doctors and managers were stunned by results of Sagan's medical tests saying they have never ever seen a rider of 19 years of age so physically strong and capable as Sagan. During the training camp Sagan destroyed more mountain bikes than any other rider due to his ability to put a bike through its paces. His team mates started to call him Terminator despite his quiet and very polite personality.

2010

Liquigas nominated Sagan for his first Pro Tour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...

 road race Tour Down Under
2010 Tour Down Under
The 2010 Tour Down Under was the 12th edition of the Tour Down Under cycling stage race. It was held from 19 January to 24 January 2010, traveling from Clare to Adelaide in South Australia. It was the first event in the 2010 UCI World Calendar...

 in January 2010 at the age of 19. He was involved in a crash during the second stage but kept riding with 17 stitches on his arm and left thigh. In the queen stage to Willunga
Willunga, South Australia
Willunga is a town south of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Onkaparinga local government area. It is 5 km away from the wine growing region of McLaren Vale and is approx. 47 km from the Adelaide CBD...

 he joined an attack over the last climb with Cadel Evans
Cadel Evans
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian professional racing cyclist and winner of the 2011 Tour de France. Early in his career, Evans was a champion mountain biker, winning the World Cup in 1998 and 1999 and placing seventh in the men's cross-country mountain bike race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in...

, Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte is a Spanish road racing cyclist currently under suspension. He last rode for UCI ProTour team . Valverde's biggest wins have been the 2009 Vuelta a España, the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2006, 2008 and 2006 UCI ProTour series championship...

 and Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez
Luis León Sánchez Gil is a Spanish road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He is also known as Lulu Sanchez. He rode for team Liberty Seguros-Würth from 2004 until 2006, when he moved to the Caisse d'Epargne team following the collapse of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team in the wake of the Operación...

. The four fought to hold off the sprinters' group over the next 20 kilometers, with Sánchez taking the win.

Sagan won his first and second Pro Tour stages during the 2010 Paris–Nice
2010 Paris–Nice
The 2010 Paris–Nice was the 68th running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun. It started on 7 March and ended on 14 March in Nice and consisted of a prologue time-trial and seven stages. Alberto Contador of Spain won the race, regaining the title he had won in...

 road race. Sagan was not initially nominated for the race, but joined the team after his team mate Maciej Bodnar
Maciej Bodnar
Maciej Bodnar is a Polish professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam Liquigas.-Palmares:20062007-External links:...

 broke his collarbone. His first stage win was gained on 10 March 2010, when Sagan joined a move initiated by Nicolas Roche on the final climb of the third stage into Aurillac
Aurillac
Aurillac is a commune in the Auvergne region in south-central France, capital of the Cantal department.Aurillac's inhabitants are called Aurillacois, and are also Cantaliens or Cantalous in Occitan....

 and out-sprinted Roche and Joaquim Rodríguez
Joaquim Rodríguez
Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He has been competing since 2001, and currently rides for the UCI ProTour team .- Palmarès :2001...

 for the stage win. This stage win also gave Sagan the lead in the "Green Jersey
Green jersey
The green jersey is a term used in road bicycle racing and Grand Tour stage races in particular. The green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the leader in a subsidiary competition....

" or Points Classification. Sagan's second Pro Tour win came two days later from a solo attack in the fifth stage into Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...

. Attacking three kilometers from the finish up a sharp climb, Sagan was able to hold off the Peloton to claim the win. Alongside his two stage wins, Sagan also finished second in stage two at Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....

 and third in stage six into Tourrettes-sur-Loup
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
Tourrettes-sur-Loup is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.This is an artisan's village situated near Grasse. It features medieval and romanesque buildings.-Population:-External links:*...

. The combination of high stage placings and intermediate sprint points won Sagan the Green Jersey for 2010. He finished the race 17th, three minutes and twenty one seconds behind race winner Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . He was the winner of the 2007 Tour de France with the team. With the Astana team he has won the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Vuelta a España, the 2009 Tour de France, the 2010 Tour de France and won 2011 Giro...

, who praised the young Slovak and predicted he would be a rival to watch in future races. He also finished eighth in the "White Jersey" or Young Riders Classification.
At the 2010 Tour of California
2010 Tour of California
The 2010 Tour of California was the fifth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 16–23, and was the first edition of the race held in the month of May, after the first four occurred in February. It was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour...

, Sagan won the 5th and the 6th stage, coming in with the GC contenders each time. After missing the move up Bonny Doon on stage 3, he was 17 seconds back. The two stage wins that he took not only moved him into 3rd on GC but also put him into the points jersey. Going into the 7th Stage Time Trial through Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, he was only 9 seconds back. Even though he had prior success in Prologues, this Time Trial was slightly too long, and he lost 1 minute and 35 seconds on GC going into the final stage. Even though he was dropped out of the select GC group on the last lap of the 20.4 mile circuit, he secured both the Youth Competition and the Points Jersey. He ended up 8th in the overall, behind seasoned veterans like Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer
Levi Leipheimer is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . His major results are winning the 2007–2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour, coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a...

, Michael Rogers, David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie
David Zabriskie is a professional road bicycle racer from the United States who rides for . His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage wins in all three Grand Tour stage races and winning the US National Time Trial Championship six times...

, Chris Horner
Chris Horner
Christopher Horner is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . A native and current resident of Bend, Oregon, Horner dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.-PAA-NutraFig...

, and Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . Voigt is known for his propensity to attack, and for his positive racing attitude. He is capable of repeated attacking, holding a high tempo, and breaking away from the peloton...

, all people very highly respected in the European peloton. Sagan finished fourth in the opening prologue of the 2010 Tour de Suisse
2010 Tour de Suisse
The 2010 Tour de Suisse was the 74th edition of the Tour de Suisse stage race. It took place from 12 June to 20 June and was part of both the 2010 UCI ProTour and the World Calendar. It began with a short individual time trial in Lugano and ended with another time trial, in Liestal...

, only three seconds behind Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...

, but finished almost 11 minutes down in the second stage and didn't take the start the following day alleging severe fatigue.

After taking a break during the month of July, he returned to good form later in the season, securing high placings in a number of European races as well as 2nd place in the inaugural Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
The 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal was the first edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, one-day professional bicycle road race held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was held on September 12, 2010, as the final event in the 2010 UCI ProTour...

. He rode the World Championships
2010 UCI Road World Championships
The 2010 UCI Road World Championships took place in Geelong and Melbourne, Australia, over 5 days from 29 September to 3 October 2010. It was the 77th UCI Road World Championships and the first time that Australia had held the event...

 in Geelong, Australia for Slovakia, but failed to make an impact in the long race. He planned to ride several late season races including Paris-Tours
Paris-Tours
Paris–Tours is a French single-day classic cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours It is a fairly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200m, at Le Gault-du-Perche. It is known as the “Sprinters' Classic” because...

 and the Giro di Lombardia but an intestinal issue forced him out of the former and weakened him in the latter.

2011

Sagan was set to continue in 2011 with the same team, now renamed Liquigas-Cannondale. At a team training camp in December 2010, Sagan said that his first goal for the 2011 season would be Milan San Remo.

After beginning his season with some solid placings in a couple of Italian one-day races, Sagan really got his season going at the Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna is a stage road bicycle race held on the island of Sardinia, an Italian region. The race returned in 2009 after 11 years. It is now rated 2.1 and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...

. He won 3 of the 5 stages in the race, and won both the overall and the points classification, narrowly hanging on to beat Jose Serpa
José Serpa
José Rodolfo Serpa Pérez is a professional road racing cyclist from Colombia. In 2006, Serpa won the individual points championship to wear 2005-2006 UCI America Tour leader's jersey and won the road race at the Pan American Cycling Championships.He rides for UCI Professional Continental cycling...

 by 3 seconds in the general classification.

During the Tour of California, he won stage 5 on his way to a win in the points classification for the second straight year at this event.

In June he took part in the Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...

 starting off with an impressive 3rd place in the opening prologue. He then won a mountain stage 3, proving his versatility, when he caught Damiano Cunego
Damiano Cunego
Damiano Cunego is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rides for the Italian UCI ProTeam . His biggest wins are the 2004 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race, and the Giro di Lombardia in 2004, 2007, 2008. He finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008 and in the...

 on the descent of Grosse Scheidegg
Grosse Scheidegg
Grosse Scheidegg is a high mountain pass in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, connecting Grindelwald and Meiringen.The road over the pass is open only to bus traffic...

 and then outsprinted him in the dash to the finish line. Sagan managed two other podium placings in the flat stages with an uphill sprint finish before winning stage 8 in another bunch sprint. This victory was enough to secure another points jersey for the young Slovak rider.

Sagan targeted the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...

 to be the stage for his first Grand Tour appearance. He rode Tour de Pologne
Tour de Pologne
The Tour de Pologne is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928. Until 1952 the race was held sporadically, but since then it has been an annual race...

 as a preparation for the Vuelta. He took the leader's jersey after winning stage 4 and then he also won stage 5. Although he lost the jersey to Daniel Martin
Daniel Martin (cyclist)
Daniel Martin is an Irish racing cyclist who currently rides for .-Early Life:Born in Birmingham, Martin became British National Junior Road Race Champion in 2004, before deciding to ride for Ireland. His brother Tom will ride for the UC Aubenas squad in 2009...

 after a difficult finish of stage 6, he managed to regain it on the final day of the race thanks to bonus seconds for intermediate sprint and a second place on the stage. He also claimed the points classification.

Personal life

Sagan is the youngest child among three brothers and a sister. He was brought up by his sister as his parents spent most of the day taking care of a small grocery shop they own in his hometown. His brother Juraj Sagan is a cyclist with . In the spare time Peter likes to watch movies, his favourite meal is pizza and steak, likes to drink coffee.

Major results

2008
1st MTB World Championships Juniors
1st MTB European Championships Juniors
2nd Cyclo-cross World Championships Juniors
2nd Juniors Paris–Roubaix

2009
1st GP Kooperativa
7th Overall 2009 Dookola Mazowsza
1st Points Classification
1st Best Young Rider
1st Stage 2
1st Stage 5

2010
1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
2010 Paris–Nice
The 2010 Paris–Nice was the 68th running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun. It started on 7 March and ended on 14 March in Nice and consisted of a prologue time-trial and seven stages. Alberto Contador of Spain won the race, regaining the title he had won in...

1st Stage 5 Paris–Nice
2010 Paris–Nice
The 2010 Paris–Nice was the 68th running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun. It started on 7 March and ended on 14 March in Nice and consisted of a prologue time-trial and seven stages. Alberto Contador of Spain won the race, regaining the title he had won in...

1st Points Classification
1st Stage 1 Tour de Romandie
2010 Tour de Romandie
The 2010 Tour de Romandie cycling road race started on 27 April and finished on 2 May in Switzerland. It was the 6th event in the 2010 UCI ProTour, and the 13th event in the World Calendar. The race winner had been declared as Alejandro Valverde, who won the final stage to take the race by 11...

2nd Philadelphia International Championship
Philadelphia International Championship
The Philadelphia International Championship is an annual bicycle race held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is described as "America's top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Europe." It is one of the longest single-day races in the...

2nd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
The 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal was the first edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, one-day professional bicycle road race held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was held on September 12, 2010, as the final event in the 2010 UCI ProTour...

2nd Giro del Veneto
Giro del Veneto
The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. The race is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, meaning a one-day race that is not the hardest in difficulty, but harder than most.-Winners:...

4th Giro della Romagna
Giro della Romagna
The Giro della Romagna is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Italian region of Romagna. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...

7th GP Ouest-France
2010 GP Ouest-France
The 2010 GP Ouest-France was a one-day road race which will take place on 22 August 2010 in Plouay, France. The race was held over , which is 12 laps of a circuit...

8th Overall Tour of California
2010 Tour of California
The 2010 Tour of California was the fifth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 16–23, and was the first edition of the race held in the month of May, after the first four occurred in February. It was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour...

1st Points Classification
1st Best Young Rider
1st Stage 5
1st Stage 6

2011
1st National Road Race Champion
2011 national road cycling championships
The 2011 national road cycling championships began in January in Australia and New Zealand. Most of the European national championships take place in June.-Jerseys:...

Vuelta a España
2011 Vuelta a España
The 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country...

1st Stage 6
1st Stage 12
1st Stage 21
1st Overall Tour de Pologne
2011 Tour de Pologne
The 2011 Tour de Pologne was the 68th running of the Tour de Pologne cycling stage race. It started on 31 July in Pruszków and finished on 6 August in Kraków. It was the 19th race of the 2011 UCI World Tour season....

1st Points Classification
1st Stage 4
1st Stage 5
1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna
Giro di Sardegna is a stage road bicycle race held on the island of Sardinia, an Italian region. The race returned in 2009 after 11 years. It is now rated 2.1 and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...

1st Points Classification
1st Stage 1
1st Stage 3
1st Stage 4
1st Stage 3 Tour de Suisse
2011 Tour de Suisse
The 2011 Tour de Suisse was the 75th running of the Tour de Suisse cycling stage race. It started on 11 June with an individual time trial in Lugano and ended with another individual time trial on 19 June, in Schaffhausen...

1st Stage 8 Tour de Suisse
2011 Tour de Suisse
The 2011 Tour de Suisse was the 75th running of the Tour de Suisse cycling stage race. It started on 11 June with an individual time trial in Lugano and ended with another individual time trial on 19 June, in Schaffhausen...

1st Points Classification
1st Stage 5 Tour of California
2011 Tour of California
The 2011 Amgen Tour of California was the sixth running of the Tour of California cycling stage race. It was held from May 15–22, and was rated as a 2.HC event on the UCI America Tour. Originally scheduled for eight stages, the race was due to begin in South Lake Tahoe, but snow around the Lake...

1st Points Classification
1st Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato
Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato
The Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Prato, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...

2nd Philadelphia International Championship
Philadelphia International Championship
The Philadelphia International Championship is an annual bicycle race held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is described as "America's top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Europe." It is one of the longest single-day races in the...

2nd Critérium de Alcobendas
3rd Classica Sarda
4th Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi
Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi
The Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi is a one day professional cycling race between the towns of San Vincenzo and Donoratico on the Tuscany coast in Italy. The 193 kilometre long race takes place at the beginning of February and has now taken over from the Trofeo Laigueglia as the opening event of...


External links

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