Sagan to stop road races, target 2024 Olympic mountain bike

Solvakia's Peter Sagan competes during the fifth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time-trial over 27.2 kilometers (16.9 miles) with start in Change and finish in Laval Espace Mayenne, France, Wednesday, June 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

SAN JUAN, Argentina -

Three-time world champion Peter Sagan will ride a farewell season of World Tour road races and then target the mountain bike event at the 2024 Paris Olympics before retiring.

The Slovakian rider announced his plans late Thursday, his 33rd birthday, at a race in Argentina. He is targeting a last Tour de France in July, where he has won a record seven green jerseys.

"We'll go on to carry out this incredible project to reach the Paris Olympics and race on mountain bike," Sagan said in a video message. "I think it can be another nice adventure."

Sagan started his career on mountain bikes before his standout career on the road. He won 12 stages at the Tour de France and one-day classics like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.

His three world titles were won in consecutive years from 2015 to 2017.

Sagan competed at two Olympics without winning a medal, in the road race at the 2012 London Olympics and in mountain bike four years later in Rio de Janeiro.