Peter Sagan suffers training crash on 31st birthday

Peter Sagan turned 31 on Tuesday, but his celebrations were dampened by a crash during a pre-season ride. 

The Bora-Hansgrohe rider posted photos on social media showing abrasions to the top of his right shin and his right forearm and elbow.

His wounds were being patched up by his brother Juraj Sagan, who's with him as part of a small team training camp in Gran Canaria. The injuries don't appear to be holding Sagan back in his pre-season preparations, and he issued a video message to say

"I would like to say thank you very much for all the beautiful wishes you sent me," he said. 

"I had a beautiful ride - six hours - in this beautiful weather. I got some new scratches and scars on my skin, but I’m still alive - that’s good. For sure I’m going to remember this day."

Sagan's trip to Gran Canaria comes after a full Bora-Hansgrohe team training camp at Lake Garda, where there was a much more serious crash. Sagan was not involved, but several riders suffered injuries in a collision with a car. 

Wilco Kelderman and Andreas Schillinger both suffered fractured vertebrae, while Rüdiger Selig suffered a concussion. 

Sagan will return to Belgium's Opening Weekend of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne – on February 27 and 28 – for the first time since 2017, after his planned season start at the Vuelta a San Juan was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

He is likely to ride Tirreno-Adriatico ahead of Milan-San Remo and the cobbled Classics, while his Grand Tour and Olympic plans have yet to be confirmed.