A world champion cyclist has slammed the younger generation of elite riders, accusing them of causing "total anarchy" in the peloton at most races.
Peter Sagan has been riding on the professional tour since 2010, and boasts some authority as a three-time world champion.
He has previously complained about selfish actions from other riders during competitions, and that the problem "gets worse every year" as more and more younger cyclists join the professional ranks.
And the Slovakian has addressed the subject again, this time slamming other riders for not taking a comfort break at last month's Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var.
Sagan even claimed that some riders simply pee while riding in their seats, which results in others around them in the peloton being splashed with urine.
""The bathroom break just doesn't exist anymore," he told Flemish outlet Het Nieuwsblad. "I saw it again in the Haut Var. You used to have the fixed time to stop to pee together.
"Now everyone is peeing from their bicycles.
"I then ask – is that normal? I understand if you ride the final of say the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. But at a dead-end in the race? You don’t lose anything by stopping for a while.
"They don't even bother going to the edge of the road. No names, but they just pee in the middle of the pack.
"I first noticed it when as a leader in a stage race I stopped to pee. They kept on attacking, while that used to be a moment of rest in the peloton.
"Everyone pees on everyone, nasty. And if you say something about it, you're arrogant, so to speak, because you can't decide what someone else should do."
He went on to admit that rivalries between riders is nothing new for the sport, but believes the respect that once came with such competitiveness has disappeared among some younger cyclists.
" Fabian Cancellara used to say a lot of things about me, very provocative, especially for the classics," he added.
"It always made me laugh because it just meant he was getting really nervous about me. When the journalists came to me with his statements, I always replied: 'Fabian is my idol. I can't say anything bad about him.'
"Back then it was the older riders who talked a lot, now the younger generation does, too. Then I think, okay, you are strong, a champ, whatever. But you are younger.
"The younger generation lacks that respect. You see, you feel that. In the past, you had the unwritten rules in the race. Now, forget it. There is total anarchy there."
