TRNAVA. When Peter Sagan first asked how he got into cycling, he said it was thanks to his brother Juraj. He started cycling first, Peter tried his bike later and stayed with him. He formed an inseparable couple with his brother.
They helped each other. At the beginning of his career, Juraj was the driving force, later Peter helped him. They traveled together practically their entire careers.
After eleven years in elite cycling, their paths diverge. Until Peter became a member of the TotalEnergies procontinental team in 2022, Juraj did not.
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“It has been a long time before TotalEnergies has spoken. On the very first day of the race Around Slovakia, the managers were informed that they were not counting on me. The manager has now dropped the nets and we’ll see in a few weeks if anything works out.
It will be a novelty, but I would not talk about disappointment. I also told Pet at the beginning of the season that we were talking about the last contract. It is mainly about him and he must be satisfied, “said Juraj Sagan after the race Around Slovakia.
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He wanted to end his career
He got into big cycling thanks to his brother. However, he didn’t miss much and he would end his career before Peter pulled him into the Liquigas team.
In 2009, Juraj rode in a small French team. He wanted to move, gain experience. But the conditions were very bad, moreover, the team did not pay the competitors. Therefore, he returned to Slovakia and considered ending cycling.
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I was in such a mood that I wanted to wrap it up. I didn’t want to race for free and I was slowly looking for a second robot, “said Juraj Sagan in an interview for the portal biker.sk.
It was then, however, that Peter Sagan began to gather his first successes. The Italian team immediately offered him a new contract and he made it a condition that he wanted Juraj to ride with him as well.
“I was very worried about what a huge leap from amateur cycling to professional it would be. However, I made the biggest and most fundamental transfer in cycling, “said the elder of the Saganov brothers.
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Juraj Sagan in the jersey of the Italian team Liquigas – Cannondale. (Author: TASR)
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A dream come true on the Tour de France
He was practically with all his brother’s success in big cycling. With three world titles or victories in the classics Around Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
However, the Cannondale, Tinkoff or Bora-Hansgrohe teams did not take him to the Tour de France. With one exception. In 2017, both Saganovs were nominated.
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“Starting together on the Tour was a dream for us and Pete. It is the biggest cycling event of the year, there is a lot of pressure and everyone wants to present themselves as best they can. My personal goal was to help him win at least some stage.
We did well from the start and then came the stage that Petě won. I came to the finish line in a group and everyone chanted: Sagan, Sagan, Sagan. I really enjoyed it, the satisfaction for doing my job well, “he mentioned for biker.sk.
He cried after his brother resigned
The next day, however, everything turned around.
Referees ruled out Peter from the Tour de France for a dangerous sprint. It was a mistake. In the fourth stage, Sagan did not cause the fall of the British opponent Mark Cavendish. But the referees excluded him anyway. Juraj was to continue on the Tour.
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