Can Peter Sagan do the Worlds Hat-Trick?

Only three people have won the World Road Cycling Championships in successuve years.  Belgian Ric Van Looy in 1960-61, Paolo Bettini in 2006-07 and Peter Sagan who did it the past two years. Of course, there is only one rider who more than the three, and that person is Eddy Merckx, the Michael Jordan of cycling. The Cannibal won his three WC’s in 1967, 1971 and 1974. Can Peter Sagan be the first rider to win three in succession?

I was at the roadside along the 300m long Governor Street climb, in the last kilometer, two years ago, in Richmond, Virginia, screaming my lungs out with my brother, JC and my sister, Flom, watching Sagan soloing for his first WC victory. There I was, all my 51-yo self screaming and rooting for a ride less than half my age. And it felt good!

Last year, Sagan repeated his victory, this time in a bunch sprint over better sprinters. On paper, Sagan wouldn’t have a chance but in a 260km road race against the Mark Cavendish’s, or the Alexander Kristoff’s of this world, a 6-hour race can sometimes do weird things on your body.

Now the question on everyone’s lips today, (or before last night) was whether Sagan can do the hat-trick.

Sagan is probably the best rider of this generation. Of course, he can’t and will never win the Tour de France but unlike Froome who we saw glimpses in three week spurts, Sagan is visible the whole cycling season. He is also a showman and fans love him for it. We, too, waited for Sagan to come out of press conference just to watch him in his newly minted rainbow jersey two years ago. He doesn’t look like a cyclist, he looks for like a rock star with those brushed back but disheveled locks. He also has a very gorgeous wife.

Sagan doesn’t have any enemies, at least in public. Boonen was the first to congratulate him when he won in Richmond and when he accidentally caused Cavendish to crash (debatable) during the Tour de France last July, guess who came out to defend Sagan- Cavendish!

But is Cavendish better than Merckx? Sorry, there is no argument that Sagan will never be better than Merckx. So what are Sagan’s chances of a repeat in Bergen, Nroway? Well, I would assume that he is one of the top five favorites with Pole Michal Kwiatkowski, hometown boy Edvald Boason Hagen, Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet and Australia’s Michael Matthews.

But news of a throat infection may have hindered his success to do a treble but his coach said that he is ready to go and that his un-participation of the team time trial was just for precautionary measures. We all know that a throat infection leaves us week.

But infection or no infection, I’d still put my money (I don’t gamble) on the Slovak.