Peter Sagan has apologised after being fined €5,000 by a Monaco court for violating a COVID-19 curfew last April and for injuring a police officer when he was stopped with his brother Juraj.
Sagan has given further information to Cyclingnews after reports of the incident emerged in local French and Monaco media, insisting he violated the curfew to return to the address he had given for out of competition anti-doping tests after putting his son to bed at his ex-wife’s apartment.
A judge fined Sagan €5,000, plus a further €100 for violating the curfew. He will also have to pay €1,500 civil compensation.
“Regarding the news that appeared today related to the night of April 25, I wish to take this opportunity to convey my most sincere apologies. It was an ugly experience that made me think profoundly and draw valuable lessons. I am truly sorry for this incident which will not happen again,” Sagan said on social media.
The case was heard and the judge issued a verdict a week ago. Sagan’s behavior was judged to be “exceptional,” and he was given a fixed fine rather than making it proportional to his professional cyclist’s salary.
The Nice-Matin newspaper suggested Sagan “struggled like a madman” when police tried to take him to hospital. A police officer suffered a hand injury during the incident and needed two days to recover.
Sagan claimed he was angry and confused but not overly aggressive to the police officer.
“I’d been at my ex-wife's apartment to put my son to bed, I had a couple of glasses of wine and then decided to return to my apartment even though the nighttime curfew had begun. I needed to go home because it’s my address for anti-doping controls,” Sagan told Cyclingnews.
“I travelled the 500 metres between the apartments on an electric scooter driven by brother Juraj. I wasn’t driving and wasn’t in a car, and so didn’t undergo an alcohol test. But the police wanted to take me to hospital to carry out a drug test which I didn’t understand. That’s what I was angry about and led me to push the police officer. I’m very sorry about the whole incident.”
Sagan’s lawyers justified his actions saying he feared he would be "forced to be vaccinated."
However, Sagan made it clear he is not against COVID-19 vaccination. He tested positive for COVID-19 at a pre-season training camp in Gran Canaria, Spain in early February of 2021.
He told Cyclingnews he has since had a follow-up vaccination during the summer and now has a complete COVID-19 pass.
