Peter Sagan has had a rich and varied career since he roared onto the cycling scene. He’s won an abundance of green jerseys at the Tour de France, three World Championships, eighteen Grand Tour stages, two Monuments, raced on the mountain bike at the Olympics … in short, almost anything that it’s possible to do on two wheels.
But that alone isn’t what’s key to Sagan’s appeal: it came with a showmanlike flair that led him into eccentric advertisements, lucrative brand endorsements, and boosted sales of everything from Slovakian packaged sandwiches to off-brand basketball shoes. It’s fair to say that, after years of near-constant exposure, Sagan’s ability to surprise us has lessened somewhat – which means that his weekend’s activities are particularly out of left field.
Folks, Peter Sagan just rode a bike from Corsica to Monaco.
Since the two are only about 180 km apart that may not sound all that impressive. That is, until you look at a map, because Corsica is an island with a whole lot of Mediterranean between it and Monaco. Not only does that make Sagan’s feat all the more notable, but it also means that this was not astride an ordinary bike. Instead, Sagan rode a water bike – the rare category in which Specialized does not offer a product, meaning Sagan is at last freed from his golden shackles to ride something else. Can you imagine the guilty thrill?!
The ride was a fundraiser for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which is a multi-pronged charity established by the former Olympic swimmer/current-day royal, Princess Charlene. Her Serene Highness – to use her official title – was born in Zimbabwe when they still called it Rhodesia, moved to South Africa, competed as a swimmer in the Sydney Olympics, married Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2011 and has been an avid socialite and philanthropist ever since.
Princess Charlene of Monaco’s “Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation” draws on her roots as a swimmer: its purpose is to “raise awareness on drowning prevention, water safety and raise funds”, and one of its marquee attractions is a water bike race from Calvi (Corsica) to Monaco (Monaco). Because 180 km is a long way to pedal a water bike, this charity sports challenge is a relay: five teams of four this year, competing to cover the distance in the shortest possible time (and a hard cut-off of 24 hours). The foundation website notes that “the conditions of the crossing are various: wind, swell, fog, night, sun, rain,” which certainly sound like some of the things that you might encounter at sea, or, indeed, elsewhere in the world.
The line-up of athletes and celebrities taking part in the crossing (sorry: “The Crossing”) were an interesting blend: some that have shown obvious aptitude in cycling (like 2008 Olympic time trial silver medallist Gustav Larsson), and others that have excelled in the boxing ring or on the race track, like a team of four Ferrari drivers. Famous cycling figures like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Tiffany Cromwell were both slated to take part, but appear to have pulled out at the last minute, making this an all-dudes affair.
Keeping Sagan company on Team Serenity was F1 driver/bicycle enthusiast Valtteri Bottas, along with Gareth Wittstock (Her Serene Highness’s brother) and a miscellaneous man called Guido Belinskis, all trading shifts in the Mediterranean for slightly less than 24 hours.
With a swole-looking Sagan on the task, you’d expect that Team Serenity would acquit themselves pretty well. Sagan took the first shift and put them in the lead early before the team faded slightly; Bottas rode the final stint into Monaco, claiming third position behind Team Lionheart and Team Rock to Rock. There’s a little map you can watch a replay of the race on if you’re so inclined; my favourite bit is when they all bob around a harbour somewhere for a few hours for reasons unknown, then ride out to sea again to make a final mad dash to Monaco.
Of course, the real star of the show was the silly water bike things, made by a US company called Schiller which describes their products as a “premium bike meets ultra-portable catamaran” (to me, they mostly look like spin bikes mounted on a pair of pontoons). These things are single-speed and fixed gear – forward motion is provided by a Gates belt drive which spins a 1:7.5 gear ratio, which lets “riders experience a high degree of thrust of [sic] the line” and allows them to reach such blistering speeds as 16 km/h (10 mph) on the water – hence the obviously necessary aero bar extensions. The promotional materials on Schiller’s website touts as a feature that “reverse pedalling allows for three point turns,” which is a fun visual, and the pedals are those gym-bike platform ones with a plastic strap over the top of the foot.
Now, it’s easy to poke fun at a celebrity water bike race on unusual machines for a “learn to swim” charity, but let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture: the people involved seem to have had a nice time. One of the riders told a Monégasque publication that “we saw whales and a dolphin swam in front of me for a while”; that “at night, when you looked up, you could see the stars”; and he’d “love to have that experience again.”
As for Sagan, he posted a brief video on his Instagram which shows someone on a yacht blasting him with music for motivation as he effortfully battles to keep his craft moving. It does not look like my idea of a good time.
It was, he wrote, an “unforgettable adventure that tested the strength and determination of my three teammates and me.” And, to be fair, it did raise about €300,000 for the fight against the “global health concern” that is drowning, with funds raised for the foundation’s snappily-titled programs “Learn to Swim, for learning swimming”; “Water Safety, for preventing drowning”; and “Sport & Education.” And then everybody had a convivial time at an exclusive beach club to celebrate.
In summary: not bad for a day in the sun and swell, and an intriguing development in the ever-shifting narrative of Peter Sagan’s life.
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