Peter Sagan - Louse Boy or Super Talent?

Slovakian super talent Peter Sagan is still in his flailing years at the age of 23. His burial of a lady of honor at the Tour of Flanders or the autograph signing on the bosom of a female fan went around the world. In the paddock, however, it is rather the fear that is going around. Only in his third year as a professional, he is already storming podium after podium and no one has a remedy for him. He is considered the talent of the century among professional cyclists. How far will he get? Probably to the top!

by Rolf Fleckenstein

Recently, Peter Sagan hit the headlines with a little mini-scandal when the Slovakian cyclist allowed himself the joke of grabbing a hostess' butt as she gave the winner of the Tour of Flanders, Fabian Cancellara, a victory kiss. It was certainly more of a rascal prank, a bit mischievous than a malicious, sexually reprehensible act, but the press and the cycling world turned it into a huge thing and made a huge drama out of it. It's really a bit ridiculous. Sometimes those responsible for cycling and the public behave as if cyclists had to behave like monks. It really doesn't get any more petty than that. After all, Sagan had already signed the torsos of female fans who asked for his autograph. He had to apologize meekly in public for the "mishap" he had committed. Cycling is really subject to an unbearable, inhuman control. The only thing that can really be concluded from his behavior is that with his 23 years he is not yet out of the lout years, a young man who is obviously interested in the opposite sex, certainly there must be limits of decency in this, but one must also preserve the relationship. The reaction in the public and in the media was then also completely exaggerated and only a proof for the fact that also the media take up each nonsense and each still so insignificant action and to a large story um-funktionieren, only around their medium thereby interesting to make and to be able to sell. The official drama is once again embarrassing for cycling par excellence and its reporting.

As a small, ironic revenge on this misbehavior of her male colleague, the Australian racer Loren Rowney then grabbed a male official in the US race Redlands Classic in the best Sagan manner on the butt, even a little more brazenly. Peter Sagan sent the photo of his female copycat around the world and commented mischievously on her behavior: "She forgot to mention my copyright on the podium patent. At the Belgian one-day race "Arrow of Brabant" he met again on the podium the same maid-of-honor, Maja Leye, whom he had "groped" at the Tour of Flanders and, as the winner, gladly accepted the kiss from her. Before the race, however, he had apologized to her in a gentlemanly manner with a bouquet of flowers

The competition is impressed
In contrast to his "slips" in public, the young Slovak's performance was anything but embarrassing. In retrospect, people only talked about the butt-burying action, but he had finished the Tour of Flanders on the same day in 2nd place behind Cancellara, he was the only one who was able to stay on the back wheel of "Fäbu" for a long time. "I'm happy with my race, I have time on my side to possibly win this very difficult race once. I crashed 100 km from the finish because someone in front of me braked abruptly, but I came back and did everything to win, but Cancellara was the strongest today," he commented on his performance after the race. Shortly before, he was successful at the "Three Days of De Panne" races with a stage win and victory at the "Gent-Wevelgem" race, his first win of a classics race, which documents his excellent form. "The guy is a once-in-a-generation rider, pretty unbeatable at the moment, he's super, super good and makes us all look like juniors," said Mark Cavendish - arguably one of the world's best professional riders in international cycling himself - somewhat frustrated after the race....

other sections in the article:
Some History
Promising future?

You can find the whole article with a personal profile in the 02/2013 issue.
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