‘My heart needs a pit stop’

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Peter Sagan has revealed he requires a second heart surgery as his preparations to compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer hit another setback.

Sagan retired from elite road racing last year to focus on the mountain bike cross country event at the Games in France, but after some recent training in Marseille, he announced he faces a new obstacle.

“Nothing to worry about, you could say that my heart needs a pit stop,” Sagan confirmed on social media.

“I will undergo surgery next week and thanks to my friend, sports cardiologist Dr. Roberto Corsetti, I am sure I will be back in the saddle very soon.”

Sagan had surgery less than a month ago, when he was fitted with a device to monitor his heart for any irregular cardiac rhythms, although there were not thought to be any serious problems with his heart.

For 34-year-old Sagan, the news came as a blow because he had just signed with Specialized Factory Racing’s mountain bike team for the upcoming season.

“I am thrilled to be in this new MTB environment and to have joined the Specialized team with familiar faces,” Sagan said of the move.

“Despite some health scares earlier this year, I am now back in training and excited for the upcoming season.”

Sagan did not compete in the MTB French Cup last weekend in Marseille and it is not known when he will return.

Sagan’s home country of Slovakia do not automatically qualify for the cross country event in the upcoming Games as they sit 38th in the standings, missing the cut-off point of the top 19.

He will need to make use of the qualifying period that runs until May 26 and secure enough points to move up the rankings.

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