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news
UCI logo 2015Peter Sagan wins the UCI Road World Championship
Peter Sagan of Slovakia launched a late attack from a bunch including four former world champions to claim the rainbow jersey in Richmond, Virginia today.
The 25-year-old attacked on the cobbled climb of 23rd Street, the last ascent of the race, to win from Australia's Michael Matthews, with Lithuania's Ramunas Navardauskus completing the podium.
In his wake, Sagan left the four previous winners of the rainbow jersey who began today's race, all of them still in the bunch that was set to contest the win as the final lap began.
Those were Belgium's Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert, Rui Costa of Portugal and last year's winner, Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski.
With so many strong riders in that final group, only a stunning attack could stop the rainbow jersey from going to the strongest sprinter left at the top of that last climb, and Sagan's move was fully worthy of the prize.
But while he may have been one of the favourites from that bunch for an eventual sprint, his attack removed any chance of a blanket finish from the equation.
There was still work to do once he crested that final climb alone, however, and crouching low in an aero position over the top tube, he minimised any chance of his rivals getting back across to him.
"Today I was just waiting and waiting," said Sagan after his victory." I had my brother with me and my teammates were always with me.
"If something happened they where always there. It was a little bit crazy during the last laps, and I thought everyone had to be tired. I gave everything on last cobblestone climb and then it was full gas until the finish.
"I knew that if the group caught me, I was very tired for the sprint but it was the right attack for me.
"I saw also a lot of comments from people that I am not good for a long race like this. But now I have this jersey and I’ll keep for a full year."
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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36 comments
Sagan is truly a worthy winner of the Jersey, first time for a while it's been won by someone who could be called the best rider in the world rather than the best rider on the day.
Mega bike race, a truly exciting spectacle, one hell of a pace really filtered out those out of form, leaving only the strongest in the world to contend at the end, Sagan is la campionissimo!! (this year)
And more importantly, I hope to God he wears black shorts next season...
He won't. UCI rules state only white or team issue. Good to see they're set out to make riders look odd in their kit!
I was more excited than Carlton Kirby was.
Was in all-out fanboy mode when Sagz attacked, I was screaming at the TV, urging him on til he got over the line. There hasn't been a more worthy winner of the jersey since Gilbert, and he'll be up there with Cipollini in the way he wears it. Cannot wait for next season.
Haha, yes I noticed that too!
Yes - that was real class, and it when completely over the head of the guy doing the interview.
A lot of people misunderand what i was getting at. Someone stated it was an impressive win i disagree, tactically it was but impressive in my book is something completely different.
Tony Martin doing 100k on his own out front is impressive, not conserving your energy and going off with a couple of k to go. Tactically it was masterfull there's no denying that.
So you're saying it was tactically impressive? Except you're not?
He won. That was impressive.
Critics Yada.
Sagz smashed it.
Tactics = Win = Winning Tactics.
#Boom
Critics Yada.
Sagz smashed it.
Tactics = Win = Winning Tactics.
#Boom
I think he really showed what a class act he is when he was interviewed after the race, before talking about the race at all he wanted to talk about the refugee crisis in Europe, he may not be the most eloquent in english (although it's a lot better than my slovakian) he seems to really appreciate where he's come from and that there are bigger issues than sport in the world.
Yes he's done a couple of stupid things in the past, but generally they're a case of being young and a bit childish, but he's a good ambassador for the sport, and I'd rather watch him race than see some of the spanish and italian riders having a sulk about things not going their way or arguing and fighting amongst themselves.
I thought it was going to be Boonen's race to win, I was hoping for some success for him but he looked genuinely delighted for Sagan to have won it.
You do realise its 2015 not 2005?
I like the fact that he also used the world stage to address the current humanitarian crisis and express how he hopes that cycling can offer something to help. Very classy.
Really pleased for the guy, had a lot of 2nd places & bad luck this year.
The strength it took to attack at that moment and then put a gap on the rest was impressive after over 6 hours racing. No one deserves the rainbow jersey more.
Hardly, he sat in the group the whole way never taking the wind then attacks at the last climb is hardly impressive. As for deserving it, after 6 hours in the saddle they ALL deserve it.
bet you Stumps never won a race!. If you don't race with your head, against the best in the world, with a plan, you don't win.
Why on earth would he take a turn? Does Cav take a load of turns to bring back the break on sprint stages? AND he had no team to speak of. He raced with his head, against the odds and the powerhouse nations. Completely deserving winner.
He sat in the bunch because he's in the Slovakia team which hardly compares to the firepower brought by the Belgians, Italians etc.
Even I know you maximise your chances of winning by hiding for the better part of a race, and I'm just a Cat 3 chopper smashing it round the local crit circuit. Have you never seen a bike race before?
Anyone know what the Olympic course is like?
Cobbles and - in the men's race at least - a fair bit of climbing.
http://road.cc/content/news/138423-rio-2016-olympic-road-race-and-time-t...
Won the jersey after pulling out of his pedal too.
https://t.co/mt2xRD9jrq
A worthy winner indeed: both world champs.
Great finish, great winner. I love Sagan. He entertains, he wins and he'll be a great champion in the stripes next year. About time the stripes were won by the best roadie in the world.
Or, about time the 'best roadie in the world' won something?
Sagan is considered one of cycling's most promising young talents, having earned many prestigious victories in his early twenties.[4] Supporting this view are victories in: one World Championship, two Paris–Nice stages, three Tirreno–Adriatico stages, one in the Tour de Romandie, two and the overall classification in the Tour de Pologne, a record thirteen in the Tour of California,[5] and eleven in the Tour de Suisse. He has won eight stages in Grand Tours: four in the Vuelta a España and four in the Tour de France. He was also the winner of the points classification in the Tour de France, in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015; as a result, Sagan became the first rider to win the classification in his first four attempts. (Wiki)
It was a joke, a tongue in cheek reference to the number of times he's come second recently, hence the smiley.
Personally I like him, he livens things up a bit but he's not the Messiah. In fact sometimes he's...
as the podium girls might attest to ! But I think he's a fantastic rider and I'm glad he has won (and he could do it again).
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