Claudio Chiappucci has called modern day cyclists “machines” and says that very few have interesting character, naming Peter Sagan as one of the few exceptions to that statement.

“If you look at somebody interesting today it’s Sagan. Sagan is a good cyclist but on the other hand he’s got character, he’s got personality,” Chiappucci told Cycling Weekly on a recent trip to London.

“All the others are just machines, paperwork, numbers. Sagan, [Alberto] Contador, [Alejandro] Valverde, is the same kind of style.”

Chiappucci says cycling has become much more tactical than when the 53 year old was in his prime. He says cycling now is possibly even boring and this has to change soon.

“If you want to create interest [in cycling] you need to find a rider who will break the mould and do something different,” he says.

“It’s changed radically [from my era], the races are very tactical now.”

During his career, the Italian won three Tour stages and finished second twice on GC third on another, took a Giro stage, 1991 Milan-Sanremo and the 1994 Volta a Catalunya.