If what Sagan has been missing in recent times is Bora Hansgrohe it was the confidence of the team and its managers, who did not fail to point out how the victories were dwindling, to the TotalEnergies you will find too much trustThere are so many expectations for his arrival and with such ambitious goals, that we hope Peter can also find the time to be a rider and rediscover hunger which Michele Bartoli recently spoke about.
«The first training camp he will be at – explains team manager Jean René Bernaudeau – will be an event. We must make the young people of Vendée want to come to this beautiful breeding ground for champions.The WorldTour put us in a bit of difficulty, but we did a good job with what we had at home. Today we have a real project and Sagan will be the accelerator with his size, his competence and the desire that he will be able to transmitHe's a great rider, but he's also a project accelerator."
A master key
The team wanted the big name, perhaps also to have access to all the big races despite not being in the WorldTour? A bit like Alpecin-Fenix with Van der Poel. Bernaudeau slips away, and there's no denying the advantage, but the objective is actually broader.
"Peter was on the market," she explains, "with his nonconformist side, which is reminiscent of mine. So we gave it a try. At first he didn't want to know, then I asked Roberto Amadio for support, who knew him from LiquigasThere were many obstacles to overcome. It seemed unattainable, but the obstacles were overcome. Alaphilippe couldn't do it, Sagan could.And I'm very happy to have also brought Oss and Bodnar, who are great rouleur riders. Sagan is very respectful of his origins, he needs people who surround him with sincerityHe wants to be well. The good thing is that he's coming with professionals, which we needed anyway. We had some empty spaces, especially among the sporting directors, so welcome».
Emotions, not commerce
The feeling is therefore that Slovakia will have its people around it, in a different bubbleBernaudeau says it's still too early to explain how it will be followed and that we'll have to wait a few weeks for that. However, he insists a lot on the project and We can't blame him on the money aspect that is ruining the sport..
"I'd like him to make young people want to come to us," he says. "We've been left behind." we are much less attractive than in the heyday of Voeckler or ChavanelWe were the team that recruited exclusively from its own academy. Peter will bring us back to the forefront, and in the meantime, talent scouts will be looking for the young talents of tomorrow. I'm not interested in the WorldTour. Because of money, this sport is losing its place in society.
«I don't like cycling today, We want to do something human, that makes young people want to try it.I'm not outraged that Pogacar could earn 36 million in six years, but are we convinced that the future of cycling is in the Emirates, rather than on the roads of Europe? I would never ask the TotalEnergies group to buy a license, it has to be earnedWe don't buy and sell, we create emotions. And in Sagan I see a champion capable of making people dream..."
