*Sam Bennett and Peter Sagan were once team mates at Bora-hansgrohe and now reports have linked Sagan with a move to Deceuninck-QuickStep*

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Nothing is certain

Peter Sagan has been linked with a move to Deceuninck-QuickStep, meaning a possible reunion with Irish sprinter Sam Bennett. But the first point to make clear is that, for now, it’s just talk; nothing is certain. Much like Chris Froome last year, when a significant rider’s contract is about to expire, the speculation and media reports will come thick and fast. But much like Froome 12 months ago, it now seems likely Sagan’s next contract will not be with his current employer, Bora-hansgrohe. The team’s manager, Ralph Denk, has already begun to speak publicly in a manner that suggests Sagan will not be with the team after the expiry of his contract at the end of the year. If that is the case, a rider like Sagan will be in demand and will look to get a new deal in place very soon; certainly in the next month or two. In that context, it’s interesting the first team he has been linked with in a serious way is Deceuninck-QuickStep. Team boss Patrick Lefevere has confirmed, in a hypothetical sense, Sagan is a rider he would be interested in.

Commercially it makes sense

Deceuninck-QuickStep is an incredible team. Year after year they dominate so many races and this spring has been no different with big wins via Sam Bennett, Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini, Andrea Bagioli, Mauri Vansevenant, Julian Alaphilippe and Mikkel Honoré. Yet Lefevere has repeatedly complained his team’s budget lags behind other WorldTour outfits.

*Peter Sagan has had a long association with Specialized, which could prove crucial in determining his next move within professional cycling*

But if Peter Sagan came into the team it would result in a more significant involvement from Specialized, including financial. The bike brand has paid a portion of Sagan’s salary at Bora-hansgrohe and is likely to be the key influencer in where the three-time world champion goes next. Lefevere is expected to retain his two current sponsors, flooring company QuickStep and windows and doors manufacturer Deceuninck. Bringing in Sagan could result in a cash boost, over a number of years, from Specialized, whose bikes the teams is already using. It sounds like the kind of move that would be very attractive to Lefevere.

Sam Bennett’s contract to expire

The Irish rider has been a huge success for Deceuninck-QuickStep. During his first season with them last year Bennett took win after win; seven in total including two Tour stage wins and a stage at La Vuelta. He also saw off Peter Sagan to win the Tour de France green jersey – the kind of big achievement that already marks him out as a significant rider in the history of what is a truly iconic team. However, Bennett only signed with the team for two years and his contract expires at the end of this year.

Elia Viviani was the top Deceuninck-QuickStep sprint before Sam Bennett but while he enjoyed great success with the team he moved on after two years

Bennett and Sagan: A changed dynamic

Sam Bennett and Peter Sagan were team mates at Bora-hansgrohe for three years, from 2017 to 2019. When Sagan arrived for the 2017 season it marked the team’s step up to WorldTour level. The big drawback for Bennett was that Sagan was a major star; arriving into the team as the reigning world champion. He had also won the green jersey at the Tour five times. Sagan’s fantastic performances continued after he joined Bora-hansgrohe; winning 12 races in his first year, including the Worlds. And the following year, 2018, he won Paris-Roubaix and Gent-Wevelgem. But Bennett also really began hitting the heights in 2018, with seven wins – six of them at WorldTour races - including three stage wins at the Giro. And in 2019 something significant happened; both Sam Bennett and Pascal Ackermann took over from Peter Sagan as the team’s more successful riders.

*Sam Bennett and Pascal Ackermann both overtook Peter Sagan in 2018 when it came to the number of races won per season*

Bennett took 13 wins in 2019, eleven of those in WorldTour races, with Sagan winning four races and Ackermann winning 13 times, seven of those in WorldTour races . Yet Sagan got a ride in the Tour that year, Ackermann got the Giro and Bennett the Vuelta. Quite clearly, because Peter Sagan was such a big name and because Ackermann was a German rider in a German team with German sponsors – even when Bennett had passed them out, the team was still acting as if he was third in the pecking order of the trio. Between this year and last year, Sagan has gone backwards and Bennett has jumped forwards. Since the start of 2020, Bennett has won 12 races and Sagan has won just two. If Sagan were to join Deceuninck-QuickStep, it is very hard to see the best lead-outs available in the team being switched away from prolific winner Bennett to the struggling Sagan. The only fly in the ointment will be the Tour de France; specifically, starting both Bennett and Sagan in the French Grand Tour. However, Deceuninck-QuickStep is used to balancing the demands of big name riders. It has, after all, just won the Tour of Flanders with Kasper Asgreen, who was in the same line-up on the day as world champion and monument winner Julian Alaphilippe.

Peter Sagan may have more to give

Peter Sagan is a very popular rider. And while the publicity that his presence at a race generates is not as significant now as it used to be, he is still a major draw. He remains one of the biggest personalities in world cycling. It means he wouldn’t have to win lots and lots of races with Deceuninck-QuickStep for his transfer to be deemed a success. His mere presence in the team, if he signs, would generate a lot of publicity. Even though Sagan has, by his own high standards, struggled in the last couple of years, there may be more to come from him.

*Sagan taking his recent win at Volta a Catalunya. At 31-years-old he may have more to give a change of scene might revive his fortunes*

Sagan took just one victory last year, his lowest number of wins since his first season out of the juniors in 2009 – his highest number was 22 back in 2013. However, that one win he took last year was a fantastic victory, from the front, in the Giro. And having already scored a stage win at Volta a Catalunya this year and placed 4^th at Milan-Sanremo, he is clearly still a very capable rider. His very best days may be over, but it is not impossible that a change of scene, especially to a successful team like Deceuninck-QuickStep, could help revive his fortunes.