Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was brought down in a high-speed crash in the finishing straight of stage 4 of the Tour de France in Vittel after he was shut in against the barriers by Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Cavendish attempted to squeeze through the narrowing gap between Sagan and the barriers, only for the world champion to stick out his elbow, blocking his path. Cavendish fell against the barriers, and as he lay on the ground, he was then struck by the following John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) and Ben Swift (UAE Emirates). Both Degenkolb and Swift also came down in the incident.
After reviewing video footage of the sprint, UCI race commissaires initially relegated Sagan to last place in the group he was in, and so he finished in 115th place on the stage. The relegation will affect his hopes of winning a sixth green points jersey, as he was docked 80 points in the classification, reducing his points total to 15. Sagan was also docked 30 seconds in the general classification.
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Almost two hours after the stage finish, however, the commissaires called a press conference in which they announced that Sagan had been disqualified from the Tour de France altogether. They arrived at the decision after repeated viewings of the crash in the finishing straight.
Cavendish injured
As well as picking up abrasions and bruises, Cavendish appeared to sustain hand and shoulder injuries, but their full extent is not yet clear. After lying prone on the ground, Cavendish was able to cross the finish line, but was due to undergo x-rays after the stage.
Read more on this article
- Tour de France: Demare wins in Vittel
- Peter Sagan, Bora-Hansgrohe protest decision to disqualify rider from Tour de France
- Tour de France: Mark Cavendish pulls out after stage 4 crash
- Tour de France: Peter Sagan talks about stage 4 sprint - Video
- Bora-Hansgrohe: No comment on Sagan Tour disqualification until meeting with commissaires
- A look at previous disqualifications at the Tour de France
- Peter Sagan disqualified from Tour de France
- Tour de France: Mark Cavendish pulls out after stage 4 crash
The blame game
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