WORLD champion Peter Sagan has been disqualified from the 2017 Tour de France for causing the crash which looks to have ended Mark Cavendish’s race.
Sagan was initially docked 30 seconds after nudging Cavendish into the barriers at the end of stage four, which was won by Frenchman Arnaud Demare in Vittel.
But the race jury looked at the incident again and announced that the Slovakian’s participation – and his bid to win a record-equalling sixth straight green jersey – is over.
“We have decided to disqualify Peter Sagan from Tour de France 2017 as he endangered some of his colleagues seriously in the final metres of the sprint which happened in Vittel,” said race jury president Philippe Marien.
Cavendish was taken to hospital with his right arm in a sling after taking a nudge from Sagan and falling into the barriers, causing other riders to fall behind him.
Cavendish gave a grim prognosis for his chances of continuing, saying he had injured the shoulder he separated in the crash that ended his 2014 Tour on the opening stage in Harrogate.
“Injury-wise I’m going to go and get it checked out. I definitely need stitches in this finger, it’s bleeding a lot,” he said. “And the shoulder, there’s something to do with that previous shoulder that I did in Harrogate – it’s just sat backwards. I don’t know if I’ve snapped the fake ligament or what – I’m going to go and get it looked at.
“I’m not a doctor, I don’t know what, but I’m not optimistic anyway.”
The incident happened 120 metres from the line in Vittel as a reduced bunch fought for position after a crash a few hundred metres earlier had sent Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas to the deck in the race leaders’ yellow jersey.
Thomas was fine to continue, losing no time as the incidents occurred inside the final three km, but Cavendish was not so lucky.
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