Peter Sagan walked away from Total Energies and, theoretically, the world of professional road racing last year. When he first waved goodbye at the Tour de Vendée in France last September, the final chapter may have been written, but there was still an epilogue to be written on Sunday, on the final stage of the Tour de Slovakia.

This time, the 34-year-old wore a rainbow band on his sleeve to remind him of his three road racing world championship victories and to bid farewell to his home country. Wearing the colors of Pierre Baguette Cycling, the continental team of Sagan's brother Yulai, he once again brought the curtain down on a road cycling career that has lasted more than 14 years. I still remember my first stage at the Tour Down Under on January 19, 2010," he said. I never would have imagined back then that I would have such a long and fruitful career in this sport as a young man, not even 20 years old.

." It has been a long road with ups and downs, but being able to finish my road racing career at the Tour of Slovakia with the support and love of my Slovakian friends is a memory I will cherish forever."

While the thanks from fans on Sunday's parting road to Stolbuske Preso may have been one of the "ups" of the year, there were quite a few "downs" as well. The Slovakian, who won 12 stages and the green points jersey seven times in the Tour de France last year, stepped away from road cycling with his sights set on Olympic mountain biking. But even just a tough qualification was made even more difficult when health problems intervened.

Sagan's path back to racing was interrupted by a heart rhythm abnormality; he quickly returned from surgery in February, but more problems in March forced him to undergo further surgery. As a result, his chances of qualifying for the Olympics were gone, and his hopes for mountain biking were even more remote.

In May, after a brief return to the road at the Tour de Hongri, the rider said his final goodbye at the start line of the Tour of Slovakia, which took place from June 26 to June 30.

"After so many years on the road, I can't believe my professional road racing journey is coming to an end. Crossing the finish line today at the Tour de Slovakia was a moment of mixed emotions: sadness, nostalgia, pride and joy."

"It's bittersweet to say goodbye to my professional career, but there is no more perfect place than here, my home country and my home race.