Peter Sagan to skip classics in favour of Giro d’Italia

Three-time former world champion Peter Sagan says he will skip most of the one-day classics this year to ride the Giro d’Italia after the Tour de France.

He will then make his Giro debut from 3-25 October, missing ‘monument’ races the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, both of which he has previously won.

“I promised the Giro before the date changed,” said Bora-Hansgrohe’s Sagan.

“I really want to respect that promise. You cannot have everything in this world, sometimes you have to make hard decisions.”

The Giro, which was scheduled for 9-31 May, was moved to follow the Tour once the calendar was revised because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Italian Grand Tour now overlaps with most of the one-day classics that were set to take place in Belgium and the Netherlands across March and April.

Slovakia’s Sagan added he will race the season-opening Strade-Bianche one-day classic on 1 August before targeting Milan-San Remo on 8 August, the first ‘monument’ – cycling’s oldest and most prestigious races – of the season, which he has twice finished second in.