First class rider - Peter Sagan features on new Slovakian stamp

World champion cyclist Peter Sagan is the star of a new 1 euro stamp issued in his home country, Slovenia.

Released yesterday, the stamp displays a caricature by Jozef Gertli Danglár of the 26-year-old holding up the gold medal he won in Richmond, Virginia last September when he became road world champion.

In its notes on the release, Slovenská Pošta asks:

Natural phenomenon? Wonder of the World? Fortune’s darling? Perhaps but certainly an exceptional sportsman and person. Peter Sagan with his abilities and demeanour has transformed cycling into one of the most popular sports in Slovakia.

After setting out some of his achievements, including winning the green jersey at the Tour de France, which he has now done in the last four editions, and that rainbow jersey victory in the United States last year, it adds:

Peter Sagan is not only a great athlete but also an honest guy with a big heart and a big smile, who does not hesitate to help someone and have fun, because he knows that it is not only victories that are important. He has become a great role model and inspiration for children and adults alike, an exemplary fighter. This shows in his ability to consistently overcome any obstacle, always fairly.

Besides the stamp itself, first day covers – one, in cartoon form, showing Sagan’s progression from an infant in a pram to child, then adult on a bike and finally UCI Road World Champion – are also available and can be ordered online here.

> Peter Sagan to return to mountain biking