Peter Sagan and Bora-Hansgrohe to have court hearing against UCI over Tour de France disqualification
The world champion and his team will head to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in December to plead their case that Sagan should not have been disqualified from the 2017 Tour
Sport's high court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), will hear Peter Sagan's case over whether or not he was unfairly disqualified from the 2017 Tour de France after an incident that lead to Mark Cavendish crashing.
The hearing will take place on December 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
>>> How Peter Sagan’s coach helped to unlock the world champion’s amazing talent
In the high-speed sprint on stage four to Vittel on July 4, Cavendish (Dimension Data) shot up the right side of the road and Sagan's right elbow came out.
Out of space, Cavendish tumbled and broke his right shoulder blade and eventually abandoned the race. Hours later, the UCI jury disqualified Sagan under rule 12.1.040 for irregular sprinting.
Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe team made an express appeal to CAS for Sagan's reinstatement in the Tour de France, but the court upheld the jury's call. The team said that the jury never heard and should have listened to Sagan's side of the story.
The CAS will listen now in Lausanne to Bora's case against the UCI over the application of the rule and resulting financial losses without its Slovakian star leading the team for the remaining three weeks.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Bora signed Sagan for an estimated €4 million annually starting this 2017 season and joined the WorldTour ranks as a result. With Sagan, the Tour had offered them a precious publicity opportunity.
A favourable Bora ruling could change how sprints are reviewed in the hectic moments following a race.
"The team and Peter Sagan would like to reiterate their position that Peter Sagan did not cause, let alone deliberately, the fall of Mark Cavendish," the team said at the time. "Peter Sagan stayed on his line and could not see Mark Cavendish on the right side."
"I didn't do something wrong in the sprint," Sagan said after his disqualification in July. "What is bad is that Mark fell down and it's important that he can recover well. I'm sorry for that."
The jury, however, stuck to its decision following Sagan's disqualification from the Tour. It has warned the cyclists beforehand that it would be watching the sprints closely.
"The jury decided to disqualify Peter Sagan because of the very serious manoeuvre in the sprint," UCI Jury president at the Tour, Philippe Marien said.
"It's a very severe violation. It doesn't matter if it's the name Sagan, this disqualification is qualified and justified."
The CAS listed it among 20 other cases it will hear over the next month: CAS 2017/A/5225 Peter Sagan & Denk Pro Cycling GmbH & Co. KG v. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
It is not sure, but it is not out of the question that Sagan could attend the hearing in Lausanne. He recently celebrated the birth of his baby Marlon and announced that he will begin 2018 in Australia's Tour Down Under stage race.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
I'm about to turn 40 - how can I keep riding fast?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
By Charlie Graham-Dixon Published
-
Life Time Grand Prix to have fewer riders and wild cards in 2025
The flagship US gravel series has confirmed the six races that will be a part of the competition next year
By Adam Becket Published
-
Peter Sagan finishes second in last ever professional race
Former three time road world champion was the runner up in the Slovakian national MTB championships on Sunday
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Primož Roglič victorious in brutal Critérium du Dauphiné queen stage
Bora-Hansgrohe leader sprints to win atop Samoëns 1600 ahead of Matteo Jorgensen and Giulio Ciccone
By Dan Challis Published
-
Primož Roglič blitzes his rivals to win stage six of Critérium du Dauphiné and take over the race lead
Slovenian outsprinted Giulio Ciccone in the final kilometre of the summit finish at Le Collet d'Allevard to take over the yellow jersey from Remco Evenepoel
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
'A dream come true': Promising German and Latvian 15-year-old cyclists win Red Bull Junior Brothers 2024
Karl Herzog and Georgs Tjumins will ride for Bora-Hansgrohe's development squad in 2025, and are now Red Bull athletes
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tour de France stage winner back on bike after being seriously injured by car driver
Bora-Hansgrohe's Lennard Kämna has completed the first phase of his rehabilitation after being struck by a car driver on Tenerife in April
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It's a miracle': The inside story of how Peter Sagan ended up on a team called Pierre Baguette
Six years after the dream first took root, Boris Horváth finally has Peter Sagan on his team
By Tom Davidson Published
-
New team philosophy, no foreign investment and Red Bull helmets: Inside the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe deal
Team CEO Ralph Denk says further big money signings, similarly to Primož Roglič, are unlikely as Red Bull money gives German team wings
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour de France stage winner leaves hospital, one month after being hit by car driver
Lennard Kämna to fly home to Germany to begin rehabilitation after incident in Tenerife last month
By Tom Thewlis Published