World champ Sagan accepts Tour expulsion

V ITTEL, F rance : World champion Peter Sagan is out of the Tour de France after accepting his disqualification for racing dangerously, with the race favourites set for their first mountain battle.

The 27-year- old Slovak had been hoping for a last minute reprieve after his Bora team appealed against his sanction for having elbowed Mark Cavendish into the barriers during the sprint finish to Tuesday’s fourth stage.

But on Wednesday morning, Sagan admitted defeat in his bid to ride on.

“I can only accept the decision of the jury, but I disagree. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong in the sprint,” said Sagan.

Cavendi sh was taken to hospital after the crash where he was diagnosed with a broken shoulder blade, forcing him out of the Tour.

Sagan had elbowed him into the barriers during a muscular sprint finish, with the race commission later deciding to expel the Bora rider for having “endangered some of his colleagues seriously”.

Bora reacted late on Tuesday saying they had appealed the decision and asked that Sagan be reinstated, although that scenario was always unlikely.

“In the sprint I didn’t know that Mark Cavendish was behind me,” protested Sagan.

“Mark was coming really fast from the back and I just didn’t have time to react and to go left.

“He came into me and he went into the fence.”

For hi s par t , Cavendi sh said he found Sagan’s elbow inexplicable.

“I was a little bit confused with the elbow, that’s something I’d like to speak to him about,” said the 32-year- old winner of 30 Tour stages. — AFP