A little over a week after testing positive for COVID-19, Peter Sagan (Total Energies) proved he is ready for the Tour de France by winning the Slovak national road race championship for the eighth time in his career.
The 197.2-km course to decide the Slovak road race title was held in conjunction with the Czech Republic national championships, which were won by Maciej Zaharka. Held at the Mlada Vojice circuit in the Tabor region of the Czech Republic, the 20-km circuit was divided by a climb in the early stages.
"This race means a lot to me. This race means a lot to me, especially because the course was so tough this year. I want to thank the people of Slovakia for encouraging me all day long."
Sagan's return to racing after testing positive for COVID-19 after stage 7 of the Tour de Suisse bodes well for the Tour de France, which starts July 1. It remains to be seen how big an impact a group of COVID-19 positive tests at the Tour de Suisse will have on who can and cannot compete in the French Grand Tour, but Sagan, a seven-time consecutive points-prize winner, certainly intends to compete.
"Right now I'm anxiously awaiting the start of the Tour de France," Sagan said.
Sagan, a three-time world champion, had a tough start in his first season with Total Energies. The second of those tests tested positive in January, hampering his preparations for the new season.
This time the COVID-19 positive came just days after his first victory in his new team colors on stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse. Upon leaving the race, Sagan said he was feeling well and had no symptoms.
With his second win of the season in the Slovak national championships, Sagan finished 1:42 ahead of Lukáš Kubiš (Dukla Banská Bystrica), with Matusz Stoček (ATT Investments) another 26 seconds back in third place. Sagan has competed in this race 12 times for the national road title, winning eight times and finishing second twice.
"I'm really happy with my win today," Sagan said. No matter how many times I get on the podium, I feel the same pride and joy as the first time I won the title."
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