Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe) was forced to retire from yesterday’s Strade Bianche due to illness and will now concentrate on his recovery ahead of his next race – Tirreno Adriatico.

The UCI World Champion started the day as one of the favourites and despite still being in contention, Sagan made the decision to retire after 95 kilometres to protect his health ahead of some demanding races. On a difficult day for Sagan, he also had the misfortune to get caught up in a crash and suffered some cuts.

While this was disappointing for the Slovak rider, he had been suffering for a few days but insisted on racing for the fans who had travelled to the race.

“I haven’t been feeling well for the past three days, and when I woke up this morning I was feeling weak and had a sore throat,” said Sagan. “However, the Strade Bianche is a prestigious race and I started today out of respect for the thousands of Italian fans who came to watch. I started and tried to do my best and race as much as I could.”

“Around 75km after the start, I got tangled in a big pile-up and suffered a deep cut in my finger that will probably require a couple of stitches, as well as a hit to my left knee. I went on, but at 95km I decided to retire.”

“My decision wasn’t due to the crash, but simply because I wasn’t feeling well. I hope to recover as soon as possible and be able to perform at my best in the upcoming races.”

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