Peter Sagan receives three-month suspended prison sentence for driving under the influence
Former world champion was caught drunk driving in May
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Sirotti
According to a report from Monaco-Matin, Peter Sagan has received a three-month suspended prison sentence for driving under the influence in the streets of Monaco in May. The professional cyclist registered a blood alcohol level at 11:35 a.m. that was over the legal limit in Monaco. He claims to have gone to bed just a few hours prior to the incident.
Not the first time Peter Sagan has been caught driving drunk
This is not the first time that Sagan has been caught drunk in Monaco. In April of 2021, he was pulled over as he and his brother were out after curfew, and was then found to be under the influence.
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Sagan has been selected by his TotalEnergies team for his final Tour de France, which will begin on Saturday in Bilbao, Spain. The former world champion returned to competition on May 16 at the Four Days of Dunkirk, more than a month after getting injured in Paris-Roubaix.
However, four days before the race in France, the 33-year-old cyclist was arrested while riding his scooter.
According to the judge, Sagan exhibited “risky behavior, even dangerous” on the road. In front of the police, the seven-time winner of the green jersey in the Tour de France admitted to frequenting nightclubs and going to bed at 3 am. However, his blood alcohol level was still very high before noon.
According to court proceedings, Sagan had encountered a police stop on May 12, at 11:30 a.m. because he seemed quite drunk when trying to park his scooter. Following an initial roadside test for intoxication, Sagan was then accompanied to a nearby police station for a secondary examination. The results of this test confirmed that he exceeded the legally allowed alcohol limit.
Will still ride Tour de France
The cyclist did not show up in court for his sentencing. His licence was also suspended for three years, according to Thomas Giaccardi, Sagan’s lawyer. Since the sentence is suspended, Sagan will not serve any time in jail.
“As he was very tired due to jet lag and only six hours of sleep, he did not think he had such a such a high blood alcohol level,” Giaccardi told the court.
This is Sagan’s last year as a WorldTour professional. In 2024, he is to race mountain bikes, with the Paris Olympics as his main goal.
