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Here is a transcript of the exchange with the 2017 world champion, Peter Sagan, shortly after he won his third title…
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When Peter Sagan first won the worlds he talked about refugees immediately after pulling on the rainbow jersey. When he won his second, he talked about being happy at the end of “a lottery”.
When he won for a third time, he talked about his friends in the peloton, an absent friend of cycling, and about the amazing thing his wife is about to do.
The interview of the men’s road race winner at the worlds has been conducted by Sebastien Piquet every year that Peter Sagan has won.
Below is a transcript of the interview from Bergen 2017.
(Piquet’s questions are in italics; Sagan’s answers are in quotes.)
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Sagan and Sagan… Juraj and Peter after the 2017 world championship road race.
Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
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Sagan: “It’s not easy… [in] the last five kilometres I said, ‘It’s already done. It’s gone.’
“After, guys are changing at the front after I tried to go in the breakaway, after Gaviria tried to close… and after in the end it came for a sprint.
“It’s unbelievable. Yeah!”
Q. Can you take us through that final sprint because you beat some of the best sprinters out there.
“Yeah, [Alexander Kristoff] is racing at home and I’m sorry. [Laughs]
“But I’m very happy to win again. It’s unbelievable for me.”
You enter history. You win the world title for the third year in a row. Does that mean something for you?
“Ah, it’s something special for sure. Yeah.
“It doesn’t change anything but for me it’s something very nice. Yeah.”
Today’s scenario, where it all finished finally with a bunch sprint, that was what you were predicting or was there a way of anticipating…?
“It’s very hard to say before.
“You saw in the climb, we were already, like, two or three pieces. The bunch was in three pieces or more. And then the guys from back, they just catch us.
“At the front was a breakaway.
“And after I just came in the finish but it was, you know, it happened in seconds. And ah, you cannot predict that because maybe with somebody stronger in the front they can, for sure, they could [hold on].
“I’m very happy.
“I have to say thank you for all my team-mates from the national team and also some friends in the group – I have some friends still in the group, and I’m very happy for that.
“And I want to dedicate this victory – or this third world championship title – first of all to Michele Scarponi because he could have had a birthday tomorrow. And it was a very sad story this year. And I want to wish good luck to all his family.
“And, secondly, I want to dedicate this victory to my wife. We are expecting a baby and it is a very nice finish [to] the end of the season.
“And, ah… I’m very happy.”
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