Peter Sagan speculates that Quick Step Alpha Vinyl's interest in signing him last year was more for media attention than a serious bid to add him to their roster.

Slovakian Peter Sagan moved from Bora-Hansgrohe to Total Energy for 2022, bringing with him several domestiques, a few backroom staffers, and bike sponsor Specialized. He was rumored to have signed with Quick Step, a Specialized-sponsored team, until the spring, when Patrick Lefebvre ruled out the possibility of a deal with Sagan and his entourage.

In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws (opens in new tab), Sagan said that LeFevere wanted to attract attention for his team rather than try to sign him seriously.

"I don't know what Patrick was thinking. 'That's not true. I don't think Patrick needed me

"Maybe he just wanted the noise. He got attention for it and then disappeared. He said it was hard to take Sagan because of my group."

"The decision was easy. 'I saw the proposal on the table, and I made up my mind. Total Energy gave me what I asked for and Quick Step did not.

After a surprise move to the French team, Sagan got off to a slow start in 2022; the three-time world champion has been infected with COVID-19 and has only raced 10 days this year.

His best result to date was a fourth-place finish in the Tirreno-Adriatico stage 2 sprint, and he has been largely unknown in classic races such as Opening Weekend, Milan-San Remo, and the E3 Saxo Bank Classic.

Sagan said the pressure to win is greater than when he started his career in Liquigas in 2010. He said, however, that he has not had to deal with outside pressure.

"The pressure is great. You have to win. The pressure comes from everywhere." Every year there are new rules about bottles and discard zones, data equipment under the saddle, more races. [No one can put pressure on me. All others can do for me is give me the facts or say what they think or want. I have grown under pressure.

The 32-year-old, who is competing in the Ghent-Wevelgem race today, reportedly earns more than €5 million for Total Energy. When asked about this amount, reported in an inaccurate listing by the Italian website Calcio e Finanze, Sagan joked that he earns more than that.

Sagan said that early in his career he had turned down a larger salary in order to include his younger brothers Juray and Soinier on the team, but that he now receives a salary commensurate with his status as a major sports star.

Sagan said of his salary, "It's good. When I turned pro, I was paid minimum wage. When I turned pro, I was only paid minimum wage. I wanted my brother Yulay and Soinier on the team. Then I went pro again for minimum wage. I didn't have big ambitions in terms of money."

"Of course, as I get older and think about what I've accomplished as a cyclist in that time, I won't be racing for minimum wage anymore. It's all about the balance of getting paid for what you mean by cycling."

During the interview, Sagan's press officer, Gabriele Uboldi, compared Sagan to superstars in the peloton such as Tadei Pogachar and Wout van Aert, remarking that "there is no one in the entire peloton at his level."

The Italian, who moved with Sagan from Bora-Hansgrohe, noted that Remco Evenpoel could reach that level of stardom, leading Sagan to compare him to the young Belgian.

"There is a difference between Evenpoel and me. 'I wasn't made, I did it myself. As far as I'm concerned, Evenpoel was made by Quickstep."

But in response to talk of salary and young riders reaching his level, Sagan said he still has ambitions to pursue as a rider. He has an impressive record of three rainbow jerseys, seven Tour de France green jerseys, and two monumental victories, but there is still more to accomplish.

"I want to win Milan-San Remo. If I win one more time in Ghent-Wevelgem, I might be able to break the record of three wins, which is tied with Merckx, Boonen, and three others."

"I don't think I can break the Tour de Flanders (three wins) and Paris-Roubaix (four wins) records. I have won the green jersey seven times in the Tour and I need to take this record to the next level. If I have to compete in the Tour, I will go for green again."