Bora-Hansgrohe make official protest against Peter Sagan's disqualification from Tour de France
The German team say they completely disagree with the commissaires decision to throw Sagan out of the race
Peter Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe team say they have made an official protest to the UCI about the expulsion of the world champion from the 2017 Tour de France.
Sagan was disqualified from the Tour after stage four for "very serious manoeuvre in the sprint" in the final 250m of the race to Vittel, which resulted in Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) crashing against the barriers and to the floor.
>>> The UCI race jury explains decision to disqualify Peter Sagan from the Tour de France
Cavendish has subsequently been forced to retire from the Tour after x-rays revealed he had broken his shoulder.
Initially, stage three winner Sagan was given a 30 second time penalty and handed a 80 point deduction in the green jersey standings.
But complaints from Dimension Data saw the race jury reassess the incident and they decided to disqualify the Slovakian.
On Tuesday evening, shortly after Cavendish was confirmed out of the race, Bora released a statement saying they had made an official protest to the UCI.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"The UCI World Champion Peter Sagan was disqualified today, according to article 12.1.040/ 10.2.2. (irregular sprint) in the result/communiqué. The team disagrees with the decision and protested it officially," the statement rad.
"Peter Sagan rejected to have caused, or in any way intended to cause the crash of Mark Cavendish on the final 200m of the stage. Peter stayed on his line in the sprint and could not see Cavendish on the right side.
"The team applied for a redress of Peter Sagan's result in stage four."
The German squad's protests are likely to come to naught however, with the UCI regulations clearly stating that decisions can not be appealed.
Rule 12.2.007 of the cycling regulations says that "decisions handed down by the commissaires are final and not open to appeal."
Sagan, for his part, says he didn't have time to react in the incident which saw Cavendish try to pass him on the right hand side of the road as the race's leading sprinters fought for position.
“In the sprint I didn’t know that Mark Cavendish was behind me," Sagan said.
"He was coming from the right side, and I was trying to go on Kristoff’s wheel. Mark was coming really fast from the back and I just didn’t have time to react and to go left.
"He came into me and he went into the fence. When I was told after the finish that Mark had crashed, I went straight away to find out how he was doing.
"We are friends and colleagues in the peloton and crashes like that are never nice. I hope Mark recovers soon.”
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
Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
-
Customizable titanium race bikes without the eye-watering price tag: Blackheart's Road Ti bike reviewed
The Road Ti offers that calm and refined feel for a fraction of the cost of other titanium racing bikes.
By Greg Kaplan Published
-
Kasia Niewiadoma wins La Flèche Wallonne, first road victory for five years
The Canyon-Sram rider took her first road victory for five years on the Mur de Huy
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish to miss Scheldeprijs as illness continues to affect schedule
Cavendish will ride Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month, Astana Qazaqstan confirms
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan confident of return to bike in 15 days after latest heart procedure
Sagan recently underwent second operation in Italy to tackle heart rhythm related issues
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan undergoes second heart procedure, as Olympics nears
Return to training after first operation reveals further heart rhythm issues
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'You have to be open to everything' - Primož Roglič ahead of his Bora-Hansgrohe debut at Paris-Nice
Roglič up against Remco Evenepoel for the first time in 2024 as he gets set for a return to the Tour de France
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Peter Sagan undergoes heart procedure after experiencing ‘tachycardic episode’
Slovakian has ablation procedure in Italian hospital after heart rate exceeded 200 bpm during MTB race in Spain
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Astana go all in on Cavendish in his final season, but will the confidence pay off?
The Kazakh team have bet big on the 38-year-old sprinter. Both they and Cavendish need 2024 to work
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish wins his first race in final season after perfect leadout in Tour Colombia
The Briton fended off the challenge of home rider Fernando Gaviria on stage four of the Tour Colombia
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish forced to settle for third in 2024 season opener in Colombia
Astana Qazaqstan rider says Tour Colombia stage one result ‘best debut race for a few years’
By Tom Thewlis Published