Sagan announces separation from wife mid-TDF

Alpe d'Huez - World champion Peter Sagan has announced in the middle of the Tour de France that he and his wife, Katarina Smolkova, are separating.

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Sagan, who hopes to win a record-equaling sixth green jersey for best sprinter this year in the Tour, announced the split in a message posted on Facebook.

The couple had their first child in October last year.

"We fell in love, went through a fantastic journey together and were blessed with a beautiful and lovely son, Marlon," the Slovak wrote.

"Kate has been an important part of my life, supported me all these years in my professional career and is a great mother. We don't have any hard feelings for each other, we will just go our separate ways, with mutual respect."