Vittel — 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," Sagan said. Cavendish 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 decisio...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.