Align the careers of Oscar Freire and Peter Sagan and they make for very similar reading. Three World Championships, victory at one monument, a green jersey at the Tour de France, Gent-Wevelgem success.
However the Spaniard, now 41-years-old, believes that cycling is easier now than during his career.
In an interview with Sporza, Freire claimed that the likes of Sagan and Alejandro Valverde have less competition and claims their success is proof of the low level in cycling currently.
‘Sagan is so often superior to the rest, which means that the level of international cycling is not very high. Valverde wins a big part of the contests in which he starts.’
‘That means there are some good riders, but not many winners are around the peloton.’
Last weekend, Sagan joined Freire as well as Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx with three rainbow jerseys. However, what sets Sagan apart is that he won his three consecutively.
At only 27-years-old, there is a high chance that Sagan will go on to become the first rider ever to be four-time World Champion, therefore holding the record exclusively.