Sagan and justice are the losers
WORLD champion Peter Sagan’s eviction from the Tour de France has sent the media contingent into a frenzy.
And social media worldwide has gone into meltdown.
I believe that Sagan caused the crash that has forced Mark Cavendish out of the Tour with a broken shoulder.
But I don’t reckon he should have been kicked out of the Tour. The original decision to relegate Sagan to last in the group was the correct one in my view.
It’s been interesting to watch the reaction from his peers and experts in the sprinting game.
Rival Andre Greipel at first said Sagan was no longer a friend and then after reviewing the footage said he had overreacted and that Sagan should not have been kicked out. Robbie McEwen told a similar story.
It was the flick of the elbow that caused the most reaction from officials and all the cycling world but when you slow it down that wasn’t what caused Cav to hit the barricade. Cavendish was following stage winner Arnaud Demare and then Sagan moves over. Sagan’s rump collects Cav and that put him into the fence.
The elbow happens later and I don’t reckon it had anything to do with the crash. But it did look bad.
There is no appeal process with this so we’re going into uncharted waters here, but I feel they will reinstate Sagan.
The last time I can recall a rider being kicked out of the Tour was in 2010 when Australian Mark Renshaw clashed with Kiwi Julien Dean and Mark was DQd.
Ironically, Mark Renshaw was Cav’s leadout man back then and is doing that job again this year. I spoke with Julian at the start last night and he agreed that Sagan should have been relegated but not disqualified. He also said that Renshaw shouldn’t have been kicked out back in 2010.