Peter Sagan joins Bora-Hansgrohe for 2017

Bora-Argon 18, which will change its name to Bora-Hansgrohe from 1 January, has confirmed the signing of world champion Peter Sagan on a three-year contract, while Specialized will be taking over from Argon 18 as its bike supplier.

Today, 1 August, is the first day teams are permitted under UCI rules to officially announce the riders they have recruited for next season.

However, it had been an open secret for several weeks that Sagan, who last month won his fifth successive green jersey at the Tour de France, would be heading to the German team, which is aiming to secure UCI WorldTour status next year.

Writing on Facebook, Sagan thanked his new team and sponsors “for the trust they show in me and for stepping up their involvement in the sport of cycling,” and that he felt “confident Bora-Hansgrohe is the right team for me to build upon the successes I achieved with Tinkoff in the last two years.

“We share the same philosophy and determination and I think all the ingredients are in place for a successful future.”

Joining Sagan at his new team will be several other riders from Tinkoff, which folds at the end of the season.

Those are Sagan’s brother Juraj – the current Slovakian road race champion – their compatriots Erik Baska and Michael Kolar, plus the Polish rider, Maciej Bodnar.

Sagan concluded: “I'd like to thank Oleg Tinkov for his support and the opportunity he gave me to be part one of the world's best professional cycling teams. Even if he leaves cycling at the end of 2016, his legacy will live on.”

Specialized, the brand Sagan currently rides at Tinkoff, will also become bike supplier at his new team under a three-year contract.

Bora-Argon 18 team manager Ralph Denk said: “It is a great honour to welcome one of the most popular cyclists of our time in our team.

“That’s why we tried to provide familiar surroundings as far as possible. I think Peter’s trust in us proves that we did a good job the last years and have solid reputation in the peloton.

“Our partners Bora and Hansgrohe are also two big German quality brands. This combination convinced Peter that we are the right team for him and his chase for even more successes the next years. I am very happy and sure that this partnership will be a successful one.”

“Since we started our sponsorship in cycling our objective was to get to the top of this sport. Peter will help us to achieve this goal,” said Willi Bruckbauer, owner of Bora, the cooking surface and extractor manufacturer.

He added that there would be another, unusual aspect to Sagan’s role, saying: “He will support us to make our vision come true: the end of the extractor hood.”