Peter Sagan successfully defended his reign as the world road race champion in Doha today with another stunning sprint finish after a race defined by desert winds. The select group formed with more than 170km to race in a tough crosswind section, a group that contained no less than five Tinkoff riders, including Peter. The result ensures that team owner, Oleg Tinkov, bows out of the sport of cycling with some fabulous results after years of support!
Once formed, the front group caught the day’s early break with a long way to go and held off the chase behind after the peloton had splintered into several groups on the road. Peter initially had brother Juraj, as well as Michael Kolar for company before Juraj got dropped in the winds. Also making the split was Great Britain’s Adam Blythe, and Italy’s Daniele Bennati in a group dominated by the Belgians.
For the second year in a row, Peter Sagan crosses the finish line at the World Championships in first position. Photo by Bettini Photo
After the finish, an ecstatic Peter told us: “I can’t believe it – I’m still in shock. At the decisive point in the race in the crosswinds I was the last one to get in the first group. Then it was about doing the sprint – I felt it was a little bit of a headwind so I had to come from the back. I was also lucky that Nizzolo didn’t close me, if he closed me for sure we crashed as I wasn’t going to brake.
“It’s unbelievable. I had the biggest fan group here from Slovakia and I felt it – thank you everybody for that, it gave me a lot of energy today. Thanks to my family who also travelled here, my father and my wife, and to my brother who was also in the front group but he wasn’t able to get back on after going back for bottles in the crosswinds. And thanks to Michael Kolar who did unbelievable work for me, he was always with me and supported me. I’m so happy.”
There was strong Slovakian support in Doha today. Photo by Bettini Photo
The win crowns a superb season for Peter, finishing the year as World Champion, European Champion and the top ranked rider in the UCI WorldTour. With just one race remaining, the victory caps a strong finish to the team’s final season, and means that Oleg Tinkov ends his time in cycling on the highest note after years of support. Thanks goes to Slovakia for their support at the World Championships and to everybody involved all season in making this final year one to remember.
Race Result
1. Peter Sagan (Slovakia) 5:40:43
2. Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) +00:00:00
3. Tom Boonen (Belgium) +00:00:00
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