Ineos could go to court over the expulsion of Rowe

Sir Dave Brailsford suggested Team Ineos may take its complaints over Luke Rowe’s expulsion from the Tour de France to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as the race continued without him yesterday.

Rowe turned up at the team bus in Embrun prior to Stage 18 to Valloire in the slight hope that commissaires may overturn their decision to throw both him and Jumbo-Visma’s Tony Martin off the race following an altercation between the pair during Wednesday’s Stage 17.

Ineos team principal Brailsford suggested the team were prepared to wait as long as possible, saying the deadline for a decision was as late as it takes “to put your shoes on and ride through the neutralised zone” but in reality, there was little to no chance of success. Instead, Rowe, who served as road captain to defending champion Geraint Thomas, left the start village in a team van as the peloton set off into the Alps.

Rowe and Martin were thrown off the Tour late on Wednesday night after commissaires reviewed footage which showed Martin apparently trying to ride Rowe off the road, while Rowe appeared to grab the German in response. The precise order of events was unclear.

The teams responded with a joint statement and a lengthy video interview including both riders but, as Peter Sagan learned two years ago when he was thrown off the race following a crash with Mark Cavendish, an appeal is all but certain to fail.

Meanwhile, Nairo Quintana soloed to victory in Stage 18 as Egan Bernal raced away from Ineos team-mate Thomas while they tried to shake off Julian Alaphilippe on the Galibier.

Bernal attacked around three kilometres from the summit of the famed climb and pulled out a lead of 32 seconds over the much-reduced group of favourites to move himself up from fifth to second overall, now five seconds ahead of Thomas.

Thomas had tried a dig of his own, bursting off the front of the group with around two kilometres of the climb still left to travel.

But this time Thibaut Pinot and Steven Kruijswijk responded, catching him by the summit, with the effort perhaps only serving to limit Bernal’s time gains.

Sir Dave Brailsford: Arbitration option