Peter Sagan expresses regret at incident with Monaco police: 'I wish to take this opportunity to convey my most sincere apologies'

Peter Sagan has issued an apology for a series of offences which saw him fined €5,000 by a judge in Monaco's crown court.

The fine came after Sagan resisted arrest and injured a police officer on April 25 in the Mediterranean Principality. Police stopped the Slovakian rider because he was with his brother out driving at 12:30am, with Monaco imposing a curfew from 10pm-6am at the time. 

Sagan's representative in court said that when the police tried to get him out of the car and escort him to the Princess Grace Hospital, he became agitated because he thought he would be "forced to be vaccinated" against Covid-19. 

On top of the €5,000 fine, Sagan will have to pay €100 for breaking curfew, and €1,500 in civil charges.

Sagan has since taken to Instagram to issue an apology, claiming that he will learn from his mistakes and vowing that he won't act in the same way again.

He said: "Regarding the news that appeared today related to the night of April 25th, 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."

The 31-year-old spent several hours in police custody after the incident, but he claims that he has no memory of the incident because he was allegedly intoxicated.

Just a month after the incident, Sagan claimed the points classification at the 2021 Giro d'Italia. 

Sagan swiftly managed to put the ordeal behind him though, claiming a stage win as well as the cyclamen jersey in May at the 2021 Giro d'Italia. He will join UCI ProTeam Team TotalEnergies at the beginning of 2022 too, leaving Bora-Hansgrohe with whom he spent four years of his career.

The Slovakian rider is expected to make his debut next season at the Vuelta a San Juan in Argentina, and is currently in South America after attending the race's presentation of the route.