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Follow us on GoogleAfter a very short stint with the Pierre Baguette Cycling Team, Peter Sagan's road career truly came to an end in mid-2024. After fifteen years as a professional, the 34-year-old Slovak hung up his bike. The three-time road world champion spoke about his current life in the Cyclist Magazine Podcast, emphasizing that he does not want to compare today’s cycling to the past.
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Sagan won his three rainbow jerseys in consecutive years — 2015, 2016 and 2017. With three world titles to his name, he shares the record with Alfredo Binda, Rik van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx and Óscar Freire. He also won two Monuments, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. In the Tour de France, he claimed a total of twelve stage victories and took home the green jersey seven times. A truly remarkable career, though his performances no longer reach the same heights as in his prime.
"I can’t hit the same wattages I used to," Sagan explains. "I still exercise a lot, and I still ride my bike, but I have to admit that I definitely don’t have the same fitness I had as a pro." What he enjoys most now is the social aspect of cycling, though he sometimes rides indoors. "I love riding with people or on an online platform, but it’s very different from how it was before."
With the incredible performances in cycling today, like Tadej Pogacar's stellar year, the sport is increasingly being compared to past eras. Sagan was asked about this, but he has little interest in such comparisons. "You can’t compare the cycling of today with that of five, ten or fifteen years ago. It’s something we’ll never truly know."
Read more below the photo!
Sagan raced two road events for Pierre Baguette Cycling Team in 2024, the first being the Tour of Hungary in May
"Everything he’s already won is really special," Sagan says of Pogacar
"I don’t race against them anymore, but I only competed against them later in my career," the Slovak reflects on his final years racing against Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. "Cycling has changed so much in recent years that it’s not comparable. It’s like trying to compare the sport to the era of Eddy Merckx. We can talk about it, but that debate will never end. We’ll just never know."
Still, the Slovak enjoys watching races like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, as well as some stages in the Tour de France and Vuelta. And, of course, he too witnessed Pogacar's dominance. "He’s strong everywhere. In the future, he might even tackle Paris-Roubaix. Everything he’s already won is really special in this era of cycling," the three-time world champion concludes.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- The independent investigation is the important bit now. It needs to give current staff a safe way to speak honestly, not just become another round of public statements.michael5413-11-2026
- One Lombardia doesn’t tell us how Seixas will handle a full Grand Tour. I’d rather see him develop steadily than have every result turned into a Pogačar comparison.samanthak12-11-2026
- Pogacar is 30 already? I thought he was younger. If he keeps winning like this, how long can he realistically ride at the top?jeremya12-11-2026
- Interesting that Thomas made the comparison while speaking to Rowe, given Decathlon’s hopes of keeping Seixas and the reports linking INEOS with him. Praise, or a subtle message to a potential signing?gearguru3312-11-2026
- Seixas winning Il Lombardia at this age is a huge statement. The Pogačar comparisons are inevitable, but Thomas is right to leave room for both of them to keep improving—Pog is still setting the bar.robert6512-11-2026
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026
- I’m still not sure how the handlebar rules work. If another rider can rest their wrists on the bars, why was Van Schip disqualified for his position?jennifer1912-11-2026
- The UCI really needs clearer, consistently enforced rules on bike setups and riding positions. If Van Schip was being told different things from race to race, no wonder he got fed up.patriciaw12-11-2026
- Two world track titles and three pro wins is a serious career, whatever the controversies. Shame he felt the sport stopped listening to him. Hope Rotterdam gives him the send-off he deserves.tourdeforce912-11-2026
- If he finished ninth at the Tour, why didn’t he get a stage win too? I’m still trying to understand how the overall standings work.julien11-11-2026