Cycling champion Peter Sagan, who is aiming to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics in mountain biking after retiring from road racing, announced on Sunday that he would undergo a second heart operation to treat an arrhythmia.
“While I was training on the rocky roads of Marseille, my heart experienced a few jolts.
Nothing alarming, but it looks like my heart needs a pit stop,” the former three-time world champion said on his social networks.
“I'm going to have surgery next week and thanks to my friend, sports cardiology specialist Dr. Roberto Corsetti, I'm sure I'll be back in the saddle very quickly,” added the 34-year-old Slovakian, seven-time winner of the green jersey at the Tour de France.
In February, a first intervention took place in a hospital in Ancona, Italy, where Dr. Corsetti practices, after an abnormal episode of tachycardia during a mountain bike race where the Slovak champion's pulse had exceeded 200 beats per minute .
Superstar of the last decade, Peter Sagan hung up his road bike last fall after 121 victories during his career and now aims to defend his country's colors at the 2024 Paris Olympics in mountain biking, his original sport.
He was due to take part in the first round of the French Mountain Bike Cup this weekend in Marseille.