Peter Sagan to undergo second heart surgery

Peter Sagan's race to qualify for the Paris Olympics mountain bike cross country event hit another snag after his problems with abnormal heart rhythms resurfaced while he was training in Marseille.

The three-time road world champion announced that he would have to undergo a second surgery next week.

"Nothing to worry about, you could say that my heart needs a pit stop," Sagan wrote. 

"I will undergo surgery next week and thanks to my friend, sports cardiologist Dr. Roberto Corsetti, I am sure I will be back in the saddle very soon."

Sagan's last surgery took place just three weeks ago when doctors implanted a monitor to track any irregular cardiac rhythms after excluding any serious issues with his heart.

The news comes two days after the Specialized Factory Racing team officially announced they had signed Sagan for the 2024 season.

"I am thrilled to be in this new MTB environment and to have joined the Specialized team with familiar faces. Despite some health scares earlier this year, I am now back in training and excited for the upcoming season," Sagan said in that press release. 

"I have found myself enjoying mountain biking even more than before, and I am eagerly looking forward to the World Cup racing in Brazil later this season. I am training hard and will be testing my skills this weekend at the French MTB cup in Marseille."

Sagan did not compete in this weekend's race. His new teammate Victor Koretzky won the short track event.

Slovakia is well out of contention to qualify a position for the cross country event in the 2024 Olympic Games, ranking 38th.

The qualification period ends on May 26. Only countries in the top 19 of the UCI MTB Nations Ranking earn entries into the race along with the top two finishers in the 2023 UCI World Championships elite and under-23 races.