Peter Sagan confirms Bora-Hansgrohe departure at the end of the 2021 season

Peter Sagan has announced that he will be leaving German team Bora-Hansgrohe at the end of the 2021 season.

Star sprinter Pascal Ackermann, who the squad previously favoured over Sam Bennett, will also be leaving the team. 

The three-time world champion posted on social media that he will not be extending his contract, thanking the team for helping him achieve some of his biggest goals over the years.

In his Instagram post the Slovakian star said: "Today, I would like to announce that a cycle is closing in my professional career and that I will not renew my contract with Bora-Hansgrohe beyond the end of the 2021 season.

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"I would like to express my appreciation to Ralph Denk, Willi Bruckbauer, the team sponsors, all my teammates, and the entire staff of Bora-Hansgrohe for their support and their confidence in me during these five seasons. We have achieved so many things and even in difficult times, we stuck together. I think that we weren't just team-mates, we were part of a big family."

Sagan spent five years with the team after joining them from Tinkoff in 2017. He since went on to be dominant in the sport for the team adding a third successive world title as well as winning Paris-Roubaix and breaking the record for the most point jersey wins at the Tour de France. He also surpassed 100 race wins with Bora-Hansgrohe.

"However," continued Sagan, "after a long and thorough discussion with my own management and under a mutual agreement with Bora-Hansgrohe, we came to the decision that it would be best if my cycle in the team came to a close and that a new chapter opened in my career. Change is part of life and growth.

"I'm sure Bora-Hansgrohe will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best in the coming seasons."

Bora-Hansgrohe have confirmed the departure of both Sagan and Ackermann, saying they did not achieve the expected results in recent seasons. 

Team manager Ralph Denk said: "I would firstly like to say that both riders are important parts of our team and we have been able to celebrate many successes together over the past years. For this, I am grateful. 

"We have already made some strategic decisions and ultimately, Peter decided that there is another option available to him that is more in line with his ideas. I have full respect for that. Nevertheless, it is a great shame, because Peter is part of our success story and has contributed much to our development.

"Pascal also had an offer from us. He turned pro with the team and I think we also contributed a lot to developing him into one of the best sprinters in the peloton. We would have loved to continue working with Pascal, but he decided it was time for something new. A change of pace can sometimes be important, I can understand that, but I would have preferred him to take on the coming years with us." 

It is expected that Sagan will be joining French UCI ProTeam, Team TotalEnergies along with a group of other Bora-Hansgrohe riders as well as the American bike brand, Specialized and multiple staff members with a move that will cost the team €8 million.

But the last time TotalEnergies owner, Jean-René Bernaudeau, spoke on the matter of signing certain riders he said he was still waiting for the rider's signatures. Perhaps, with this announcement, that is now sorted.

Teams are allowed the announce their new signings for the 2022 season from August 1 but riders are not allowed to be seen in the new kit until Janaury 1, unless they have agreed the break contract with the team.