Peter Sagan tests positive for COVID-19 for second time in less than a year

Peter Sagan, who has just joined Team TotalEnergies after five seasons at Bora-Hansgrohe, has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time. In less than a year.

The three-time world champion revealed in a post on Twitter that he and brother Juraj, who has also switched to the French WorldTeam, are now self-isolating.

He wrote: “My brother Juraj and I took Covid-19 tests which, unfortunately, came out positive. We have symptoms related to the virus and we are following the corresponding guidance set by the relevant authorities. I’ll keep you posted.”

My brother Juraj and I took Covid-19 tests which, unfortunately, came out positive. We have symptoms related to the virus and we are following the corresponding guidance set by the relevant authorities. I'll keep you posted.

— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) January 4, 2022

Sagan, who previously tested positive for COVID-19 in February last year during a training camp on Gran Canaria, had been due to make his Team Total Energies debut later this month at the Vuelta a San Juan.

>  Peter Sagan tests positive for Covid-19 during Gran Canaria training camp

Irrespective of the disruption to his preparations for the new season caused by his positive test, however, his first start for his new team will be delayed in any event, with organisers of the Argentine race deciding this week to exclude foreign teams due to the Omicron variant.

In November, the 31 year old was fined €5,000 by a court in Monaco after infringing a COVID-19 curfew last April as well as injuring a police officer as he struggled with them, apparently afraid he would be “forced to be vaccinated.”

> Peter Sagan fined for breaking Monaco COVID-19 curfew and injuring police officer

He admitted in court that he was drunk when police stopped him and his brother at around 0030 hours on 25 April.

He was reported to have “struggled like a mad person” as police tried to take him into custody, with one officer sustaining an injury to their hand.

However, Sagan’s lawyers said that he had resisted arrest because he was afraid that he would be “forced to be vaccinated.”

The Slovakian rider spent the night in custody and said afterwards that he could not remember what had happened.

He also issued an apology, blaming the incident on having drunk too much, something he said he was not used to.