Peter Sagan has been confirmed as moving to French second division squad Team TotalEnergies, after five years at Bora-Hansgrohe.
The Slovakian star announced a few days ago that he would be leaving Bora-Hansgrohe for a new challenge and it has been confirmed that TotalEnergies will be that challenge.
The French team announced with "immense pride" that they have announced the three-time world champion as they continue to build their squad to get to the UCI WorldTour.
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Along with Sagan, riders Maciej Bodnar and Daniel Oss will also join TotalEnergies from Bora-Hansgrohe. Added to this enormous deal is bike manufacturer Specialized, clothing brand Sportful as well as new shoes, tyres, helmets, wheels and components.
In a team statement, they said: "It is with immense pride that Team TotalEnergies announces the signing for two seasons (2022-2023) of Slovak rider Peter Sagan, triple world champion and seven times green jersey of the Tour de France, 117 professional victories."
Sagan has had a solid season that was stalled by Covid-19 at the start of the year, but he took his first win at the Volta a Catalunya before heading to the Giro d'Italia where he took his first points jersey at the Italian Grand Tour.
He was quoted in the press release saying: "This new adventure is very exciting. Jean-René is a manager who wants to change the lines in the world of cycling, I hope to be able to help this team to achieve it, and to win many races under these new colours. For now, of course, I remain focused on the end of season goals with my current team, and I will join my new formation with a winning spirit this winter."
Team manager, Jean-René Bernaudeau, spoke about the huge signing: "Recruiting Peter is obviously an incredible source of pride. He is undoubtedly the most popular runner in the world, he is an exceptional talent, he makes us change dimension. This recruitment is above all the marker of sporting ambition.
"Peter is a huge competitor, everyone knows that, and above all, he will bring us victories: we are counting on him for that. The arrival of such a champion, a bicycle and accessories supplier like Specialized and a clothing partner like Sportful, these are accelerators for our sporting project, it is a new attraction for the talents of tomorrow.
"Peter will be a key part of our system on the Classics and the Tour. He will bring us a lot of sporting also through his experience, and will help us to move the group forward."
Surprisingly, Sagan does not seem to be taking his brother Juraj as well as another Slovakian rider Erik Baška, both Bora-Hansgrohe riders.
It is not known if Sagan will race again for Bora-Hansgrohe but it is likely he will race at the World Championships in Leuven for Slovakia and possibly at the European championships in Italy.
