Sagan, sporting yellow, puts last year behind him

LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, France — A year after leaving the Tour de France in disgrace, Peter Sagan earned the race’s yellow jersey Sunday after doing what he does best: Powering past the competition to reach the finish line.

The three-time defending world champion took the overall lead of the Tour on Sunday after he bettered about a dozen other sprinters to win Stage 2.

The Slovakian rider’s ninth career victory at the Tour came just over a year since he was disqualified from cycling’s most prestigious event by race officials who ruled he had caused a crash that broke Mark Cavendish’s shoulder.

Sagan, however, said there was no revenge factor in mind, and that just wearing yellow was reason enough to celebrate.

“Revenge? I already forgot about last year,” Sagan said. “I’m just happy I can be in the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world.”

Defending champion Chris Froome, who fell into a ditch near the end of Saturday’s Stage 1, arrived safely with most of the peloton.

Sagan came up short in the opening stage’s sprint when he crossed second behind Fernando Gaviria, who won on his Tour debut. And the second stage looked like it would feature another duel between the veteran Sagan and new star Gaviria.

But Gaviria was involved in a group pileup and could do nothing to stop Sagan from claiming a six-second overall lead.