The Tour de France is always a hub of transfer news and gossip, with the August 1 signing announcements period rapidly approaching and all the principals, teams, riders and agents all in the one spot.
A report on Dutch site has stated that TotalEnergies will sign a contract with Sagan, several support riders, and bike supplier Specialized after the Tour de France.
Sagan, a three-time world champion with seven Tour de France points jerseys to his name, would bring Daniel Oss, Maciej Bodnar, Erik Baška and his brother Juraj with him to his new team.
Sagan has raced with Bora-Hansgrohe since the 2017 season, and his deal with the German squad is up at the end of the season. Heading into the 2021 Tour de France, Sagan’s future with BORA-Hansgrohe has been openly discussed and questioned a number of times, with a rift between him and team boss Ralph Denk floated and a potential move to Deceuninck-QuickStep raised.
Deceuninck-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere talked about the move but ultimately said the team wouldn't be signing Sagan due to all the extras which come with him; his favourite riders and support staff the sticking points.
“Great of Sagan that he take such good care of his faithful, but I don’t want a team within my team," said Lefevere at the time. "That cannot be reconciled with the Wolfpack philosophy.”
Sagan was involved in a high-speed crash on the Stage 3 sprint finish with Caleb Ewan and hasn't been racing at quite the level seen in past Tours de France, where he is most famous for holding the record for most points jerseys, winning seven over the course of his career. He currently lies seventh in the points competition at the 2021 race, 126 points down on leader Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-QuickStep).
Team TotalEnergies is a UCI Pro Road Team (formerly Pro Continental) squad that is a stalwart of French cycling. Its current lineup includes Edvald Boasson Hagen, Niki Terpstra, and Pierre Latour as its big names.
The team was previously known by its old title sponsors, Team Europcar, Team Bouygues Telecom, Brioches La Boulangère, and Team Bonjour. Over its history, the team has been the home of Thomas Voeckler, Sylvain Chavanel, Pierre Rolland, and other French greats.
