Peter Sagan has made history again. The Slovak cyclist has become the first rider to win three consecutive road cycling World Championships. Since 1927, when the event was established, no other cyclist had worn the rainbow jersey in three consecutive editions.
Sagan achieved this feat after winning a tight sprint against Norwegian Aleksander Kristoff, completing the 267.5 kilometers set by the UCI between the towns of Rong and Bergen (Norway) in a time of 6 hours, 28 minutes, and 11 seconds. Australian Michael Matthews rounded out the podium in third place.
With this victory, Peter Sagan becomes the first cyclist in history to achieve three consecutive titles in the Road Cycling World Championships, surpassing legends such as the Belgians Georges Ronsse (1928 and 1929), Rik Van Steenbergen (1956 and 1957), Rik Van Looy (1960 and 1961), and the Italians Gianni Bugno (1991 and 1992) and Paolo Bettini (2006 and 2007), who managed to win the road cycling World Championship in two consecutive years.
To date, only four riders besides the Slovak have won three road cycling World Championships, although none of them consecutively: Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen, Óscar Freire, and Eddy Merckx. With this achievement, Sagan joins the elite of cycling history, consolidating himself as the fifth great.
Beyond his titles, Peter Sagan is recognized for his versatility and his dominance on the bike across different terrains. His record, with more than 100 victories and 200 podiums as a professional, demonstrates his ability to compete both on road bikes and in more technical disciplines. His ability to adapt to different profiles of carrera is comparable to that of cyclists who excel in mountain bikes events, where bike handling and explosiveness play a key role.
If Sagan continues on this path and achieves another world title in the coming years, he could become the most decorated rider in the history of the event. And if he does it in 2018, he will break his own record for consecutive victories. Without a doubt, an exceptional cyclist who has left a mark on the history of cycling.
Cyclists with 3 Road World Championships:
- Alfredo Binta (1927, 1930, 1932)
- Rik van Steenbergen (1949, 1956, 1957)
- Óscar Freire (1999, 2001, 2004)
- Eddy Merckx (1967, 1971, 1974)
- Peter Sagan (2015, 2016, 2017)