Peter Sagan's disqualification from the Tour de France on Tuesday for what the race jury deemed was a violent act toward Mark Cavendish in the stage 4 sprint has sent shock waves through the cycling world.
Sagan, the reigning world champion, is without a doubt the most high-profile rider excluded from the race for sporting reasons, but the French Grand Tour has a history of raising emotions and efforts to breaking point.
Below is a brief recap of some of the more recent infractions that ended riders' races long before – and in one case after – the finish in Paris on the Champs-Elysees.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tom Steels - 1997
Tom Steels was disqualified from the race in 1997 for throwing a water bottle at Frederic Moncassin during the stage 6 sprint, which was initially won by Erik Zabel before the German was relegated for irregular sprinting. The stage victory went to Jeroen Blijlevens, and Steels went home.
Steels brushed up against the jury again in 1999, when he won the sixth stage but was relegated to the back of the group for pushing Jan Svorada with his hip and then bumping Mario Cipollini before crossing the line with his arms raised.
Jeroen Blijlevens - 2000
Mark Renshaw – 2010
Eduardo Sepúlveda – 2015
Close calls
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://ift.tt/2unfz9g
No comments:
Post a Comment