Peter Sagan is doing Strictly Come Dancing. This is not a drill. I repeat, Peter Sagan is doing Strictly Come Dancing.
The news was first announced earlier this week. “I’m ready to swap the bicycle for the dance floor!” the three-time world champion wrote on Instagram. “Soon you will be able to see my switch from sprinting to disco.”
It’s an exciting prospect, and after all, why not? Having retired in June last year – after a brief spell with a team called Pierre Baguette (surprisingly not French) – the Slovak has been on an adventure-seeking spree. He rode a water bike across the Mediterranean Sea, raced in a gravel event through the Saudi desert, and went skiing in the Dolomites. Now, he wants to boogie.
Hold tight, though, UK viewers. Don’t get ahead of yourselves. You won’t be able to watch Sagan on the BBC. No, the former world champion will appear on the Slovakian version of the show, similarly named ‘Let’s Dance’, with a flurry of his compatriot stars.
I’m not well-versed in Slovak celebrities, but I imagine Sagan’s participation is quite the catch for the programme. A cursory Google search of famous Slovaks puts him among the top of the list, alongside deceased politicians, former Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel and actor Angelina Jolie, whose great-grandfather was apparently born in the city of Košice in 1847.
Škrtel and Jolie won't be on the latest series. Instead, Sagan will join a growing list of cyclists who have participated in the series. Track sprinter Victoria Pendleton appeared on the UK version in late 2012, months after winning keirin gold at the Olympics. More recently, nine-time Paralympic gold medallist Jody Cundy strutted his stuff on the show.
I spoke to Jody about his Strictly experience at the National Track Championships last year. “I loved it,” he told me. In fact, he reckoned it made him a stronger cyclist. “Mainly because of the stability and the balance that I got from all the dancing and all the dance exercises,” he said.
Sagan, of course, now six months retired, is not fussed about how good it will be for his training. He’s just looking to have fun and emulate his dancing idol. Who's his dancing idol? None other than Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze. At least according to a press release it is, anyway.
“I plan to enjoy it and put on a big show,” Sagan said. I'm sure he'll be having the time of his life, just like Swayze. .
Elsewhere on social media this week, Lidl-Trek riders take on Buckaroo, Alexander Kristoff holds himself together for a photo, and Demi Vollering has a mini admirer.
1. From the Tour to the dance floor
2. I don't know what's more surreal: seeing Sagan perform a ballet plié, or seeing him in normal clothes
3. It turns out I've been using my saddle wrong for years
Popping his shoulder back in 😱Don’t try this one at home! Lars Van der Haar was spotted using his bike saddle to pop his shoulder back in during the CX in Gullegem 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/SgPFYL5Bt4January 4, 2025
4. Christmas was only a few weeks ago, give the guy a break
😂 pic.twitter.com/ZLG0LOJG5BJanuary 9, 2025
5. Gaming and Zwifting? A match made in heaven
6. I wouldn't recommend playing Buckaroo while you Zwift though
Safe to say, the riders are as competitive as ever! 🐎😂 pic.twitter.com/kwpUoQr9Y1January 8, 2025
7. Road cyclists will go to any lengths to avoid putting panniers on their carbon bikes
Popping out to the shops in style 😎 📸 @RossBellPhoto pic.twitter.com/QQGZ4AQkcDJanuary 5, 2025
8. Yes, the new GB kit's nice, but where's the dog's skinsuit?
BTS from campaign shot with British Cycling for the new GB Kit pic.twitter.com/8c72aDkpjMJanuary 7, 2025
9. Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale's Benoît Cosnefroy has been out enjoying the snow. Hang on a second...
Benoît Cosnowfroy... pic.twitter.com/abNat3ainBJanuary 5, 2025
10. Swipe for EF Education's ins and outs for 2025. I, for one, am delighted that carbs are still in vogue
11. If you want to become a pro cyclist, you need to learn how to pose like them, and eight-year-old Gioia already has the art down to a tee
12. Finally, Max Goold won an Australian national title on Wednesday. He was rewarded with a brand-new bruise on his back, courtesy of a barrier he crashed into by the finish line
A great ride from Max Goold to win the Under-19 Men's @auscyclingaus National Championships in the Time Trial.#Roadnats25 pic.twitter.com/fP2nqxhVwZJanuary 8, 2025
