There will be something missing from this year's WorldTour. A Peter Sagan-shaped hole has opened up as the enigmatic Slovak retires from top level road racing. He hasn't gone completely though – he is staying on to target the mountain bike race in the Paris Olympics in August.
"You cannot put a lion in a cage," says Sagan's old boss at Bora-Hansgrohe, Ralph Denk. He was talking about letting the Slovak off the leash to enjoy mountain biking or skiing during the off-season. But with Sagan's recent retirement from the WorldTour, it feels like that metaphor has never been more apt. The ultimate uncaging.
