Peter Sagan likely to skip Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders this year

Peter Sagan may skip Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders for the first time since 2013 due to the condensed 2020 calendar.

The former three-time world champion had planned to race both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France this season, before his schedule was upended by the coronavirus pandemic.

But according to reports in Slovakian media , Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) will stick to his plan of riding both the Tour and the Giro, which means he would race 42 stages in just 58 days.

If Sagan does opt to ride the Giro, he would be forced to skip the two biggest one-day races on the calendar, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, which clash with the Italian Grand Tour.

The upheaval caused by coronavirus forced the UCI to suspend all racing in March and the governing body has since redesigned the calendar, fitting all major races into the four months between August and November.

Sagan’s regular schedule would feature the major classics, including Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, both of which he has won already, then the Tour de France in summer.

He has raced both cobbled Monuments every year since 2013.

This year he had planned to make his Giro d’Italia debut in the hopes of winning a stage and potentially the points jersey, before lining up at the Tour.

Instead Sagan is now expected to race Milan-San Remo on August 8, then the Tour de France on August 29, then the Giro d’Italia on October 3.

It would be possible for Sagan to race Flanders on October 19 and Roubaix on October 25 if he pulled out of the Giro early, but the 30-year-old is looking to complete the set of stage victories in Grand Tours and also potentially add another points classification jersey to his collection.

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WorldTour racing is still currently suspended, but is currently scheduled to return on August 1 with Strade Bianche.