Peter Sagan disqualified from the Tour de France

Photo: Jeff Pachoud Agence France-Presse
The winner of the third stage the previous day, Sagan has given an elbow to Mark Cavendish.

On Monday, Peter Sagan celebrated a victory. On Tuesday, the world champion from Slovakia — one of the biggest names in cycling — heard he was disqualified from the Tour de France.

Sagan was excluded from the Great Loop after having caused an accident during a chaotic conclusion to the fourth stage, won by Frenchman Arnaud Démare.

The winner of the third stage the day before, Sagan gave a nudge to the British Mark Cavendish while he was still fifty yards to negotiate to the test. Cavendish is trapped in barriers located to the right of it, and has heavily fallen. Two other cyclists are then fallen on Cavendish, a winner of 30 Tour de France stages in his career.

“We have decided to disqualify Peter Sagan in the Tour de France in 2017 after the tumultuous sprint here in Vittel, where he put in danger several riders, including Mark Cavendish and other participants involved in the accident,” announced Philippe Marien, president of the jury commissioners.

Marien added that the commissioners had applied the rules of the Union cycliste internationale (UCI), which allow them to disqualify riders in ” serious cases “.

Neat place, Cavendish had to be rushed to the hospital after having been wounded in the index finger of the right hand and right shoulder.

“I’ll certainly be in need of stitches to the finger, because it bleeds a lot, the British.

“In regards to the shoulder, there could be a link with an old injury. She is broken and so I don’t know if I’ve damaged the ligament. I am not a doctor, but according to what I feel, I am not optimistic, ” said Cavendish.

Rare cases

With the exception of the case of doping, disqualifications occur rarely in the Tour de France. In 2010, Australian Mark Renshaw was disqualified for having given a blow to the head has led to Cavendish, his team-mate, winning the stage to Bourg-Lès-Valence.

“If there has been an error, he must congratulate the jury for having the courage to punish the world champion, the superstar of cycling today,” said Démare, winner of the stage of the 207,5 km in 4: 53 :54.

Sagan hoped to equal the record of six green jerseys (the points classification), which belongs to Erik Zabel, and he had begun the quest of this objective on the right foot by winning the third stage.

“I get along well with Peter, but I don’t understand… If it had happened in front of me, it is one thing, but the elbow. This is not the kind of gesture that I approve, remarked Cavendish.

“An accident is an accident. But I would like to understand the nudge, really, ” added Cavendish. I would like to be able to talk to him about that. “

After the accident, Sagan went to the Cavendish and gave him a friendly pat on the back, while the british cyclist showed him his wounds.

Sagan, who had first been penalized 30 seconds after the accident, also said that he had apologized.