World road race champion Peter Sagan surprised the rest of the peloton by going au naturel on the road. Is it really ‘disrespectful’ to fellow riders to be a hairy biker?

It’s fair to say that amid the sometimes over-serious world of professional bike riding, Peter Sagan already stands out as a bit flamboyant.

For his wedding last year, the 26-year-old Slovakian wore a gold trimmed tunic, arrived in a Trabant car and at one point rode a miniature penny farthing across a tightrope. When he was crowned world road race champion he briefly opted for a flashy, all-white ensemble to complement the rainbow stripes which come with the title.

But all this nothing to Sagan’s latest move: he has begun the 2016 racing season with unshaved legs. Yes, legs with lots of hair on them. That’s legs like those of an ordinary man, albeit uncommonly lithe and muscular ones.

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The Cyclingtips website has devoted about 1,000 words to this seismic event, including several theories as to why, such as to better insulate him amid the currently chilly temperatures of the Tirreno-Adriatico race, a superstition before he wins his first stage of 2016, or just because he’s Peter Sagan and he does whatever the hell he likes.

The article also rounds up some fantastic responses from fellow riders on the pro peloton (Taylor Phinney, BMC Racing: “I fully support Peter in doing whatever he wants with his body hair.”)

The Irish former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche was less understanding, calling it a poor example: “He’s wearing the world champion’s jersey, and he owes it to be respectful and to be clean and presentable.”

It’s a rare phenomenon for a male celebrity, enduring close-up photographic scrutiny of unexpected body hair, unlike for their female equivalents.

Why do pro cyclists (and many of their more keen amateur counterparts) even shave their legs? The official explanations are that it makes the daily leg massages received by professionals easier to administer, and it helps speed up healing if you graze your legs in a crash. The British Cycling website also explains that recent wind tunnel testing has also shown a marginal aerodynamic gain, a benefit long claimed but previously never proven.

And what of the owner of the hirsute pins himself? Sagan proved himself a step ahead again. As yet more inclement weather at the Tirreno-Adriatico, forcing a stage to be cancelled, Sagan tweeted a photo of his legs encased in a creamy unguent: “Happy that #TirrenoAdriatico has cancelled the stage today, because of snow,” he wrote. “I finally have time to shave my legs.”