Sagan kicked out for causing crash
VITTEL, France — One day Peter Sagan was twirling his fingers and celebrating victory.
A day later, the world champion from Slovakia — one of cycling’s biggest stars — was disqualified from the Tour de France.
Sagan was sent home Tuesday for causing a serious crash in a chaotic sprint finish that left Mark Cavendish needing treatment for his injuries and further examinations in a hospital.
About 50 yards from the end of the race’s fourth stage, Sagan elbowed Cavendish — who was squeezed against the barriers to his right — out of the way. Cavendish slammed into the barriers, and two other riders plowed over the British sprint specialist, a winner of 30 Tour stages during his career.
“We have decided to disqualify Peter Sagan from the 2017 Tour de France after the tumultuous sprint here in Vittel, where he endangered several riders, including Mark Cavendish and others who were involved in the crash,” said race jury president Philippe Marien of the UCI, cycling’s governing body.
Marien said officials were applying UCI race rules that allow them to disqualify riders in “serious cases.” Cavendish was taken to the hospital with hand and shoulder injuries.
“I will definitely need stitches in this finger. It’s bleeding a lot,” he said. “With the shoulder, it might be something to do with a previous injury; it’s sat backwards, so I’m not sure if I’ve done something to the ligament. I’m not a doctor, but from the feelings I’m not optimistic.”
Apart from for doping offenses, disqualifications are rare in cycling’s showcase event. But one came in 2010, when Mark Renshaw of Australia was thrown out for a head-butt that cleared a path in a sprint for his teammate — Cavendish — to win the stage in Bourg-Les-Valence.
“If there was a mistake, then you have to congratulate the jury for having the courage to punish the world champion, the big star of cycling today,” said France’s Arnaud Demare, who won Tuesday’s stage.
Sagan was aiming to match Erik Zabel’s record of six green jerseys in the Tour’s points classification, and he was right on target after winning the third stage. Cavendish was surprised by Sagan’s physical tactics.
“I get on with Peter well, but I don’t get … if he came across is one thing, but the elbow — I’m not a fan of him putting his elbow in me like that,” Cavendish said. “A crash is a crash. I’d just like to know about the elbow, really. I’d just like to speak to him about it.”
After the crash, Sagan went over to see how Cavendish was and patted him on the back as the British rider showed him his wounds. Later, Sagan said he had apologized to Cavendish.
“It’s not nice to crash
like that,” said Sagan, who was the first rider across the finish line after Demare. “It’s the sprint. I just didn’t know that Mark is behind me, he’s coming from the right side. Mark was coming pretty fast from the back and after I just didn’t have time to react, to go left, and he just came (into) me and after into the fence.”
A medical team quickly ran out to treat Cavendish, jogging into the oncoming stream of riders to reach him. When Cavendish was finally helped to his feet, his jersey was badly torn
and blood was streaking down his side. Cavendish rode in with a teammate after treatment, gingerly holding his right arm close to his body with his right hand in a bandage.
It’s already been a difficult year for Cavendish, who came down with mononucleosis caused by the Epstein-Barr virus in April.
There was another crash earlier Tuesday that delayed Tour leader Geraint Thomas, but the Welshman retained the yellow jersey because it happened in the neutral zone near the stage finish. Thomas leads Sky teammate and three-time champion Chris Froome by 12 seconds, with thirdplace Michael Matthews of Australia also 12 seconds back.
Thomas scraped his knee but said it was OK.
“I hit the deck, but I’m fine,” Thomas said.
Demare clocked nearly five hours over the largely flat 129-mile route, which started and finished in two spa towns, Mondorf-lesBains in Luxembourg and Vittel in France.
Demare’s win ended a long wait for the home fans, with the previous French victory in a bunch sprint at the Tour being won by Jimmy Casper in the 2006 race’s opening stage in Strasbourg.
“We’ve been working with Arnaud for a long time on sprints,” said Marc Madiot, manager of Demare’s FDJ team. “Winning in the Tour is the best.”
After Sagan’s disqualification, Alexander Kristoff moved up to second place in the stage, with Andre Greipel third.
Today’s stage concludes with the first serious climb of this year’s Tour. The 100-mile leg begins in Vittel and winds its way to La Planche Des Belles Filles, with a short but steep finishing ascent that features a leg-breaking 20-percent gradient in the final yards.
All of the overall favorites should swing into action.