Peter Sagan stars in bizarre new ‘flat earth’ Specialized advert
‘Bicycle scientists have announced the world is now flat’
Peter Sagan has starred in an unusual new ‘flat earth’ advert promoting Specialized bikes.
The ad, titled ‘Breaking News with Peter Sagan’, was released online on Wednesday (July 10) as the three-time world champion sprinted to victory on stage five of the Tour de France.
Sagan stars as a newsreader in the new campaign, which is promoting the range of e-bikes from US bike brand Specialized, with the Bora-Hansgrohe rider proclaiming “the world is now flat.”
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The ad then cuts to another Sagan, this time acting as a roving reporter who interviews a strangely familiar “random cyclist” to get his thoughts on the news.
Specialized launched the video to market their range of Turbo e-bikes, with the slogan “Specialized Turbo makes your world flat.”
Sagan’s superstar status has seen him star in plenty of weird and wonderful ad campaigns.
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In 2016, the Slovakian dressed up as a gladiator and put his dancing shoes on Pulp Fiction-style in an ad for Sunroot.
Plenty of other riders have also starred in even more questionable campaigns, including Alberto Contador posing as Buddha and a fully naked Filippo Pozzato.
Sagan is currently pursuing a record seventh green jersey at the Tour de France, which would take him beyond the six points classifications won by Erik Zabel.
His victory on stage five of the Tour de France 2019 cemented his lead in the competition.
A heart-warming video then emerged after the stage showing Sagan’s dad exploding with joy at his son’s victory.
The 29-year-old has ridden a comparatively quiet 2019 season, claiming only three victories before the Tour de France and not taking any notable results in the Classics.
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Sagan then suffered disappointment on stage one of the Tour, narrowly missing out on stage victory and the yellow jersey when he was outstretched by Jumbo-Visma’s Mike Teunissen at the bike throw in Brussels.
But his patience paid off as he was able to outlast the pure sprinters on a tough climbing day on stage five, easily overpowering his versatile riders to take victory.
That win further cemented Sagan’s lead in the points classification, as he now lead’s Michael Matthews (Sunweb) by 47 points.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.