Sagan loses appeal, Tour expulsion stands

Slovak's Peter Sagan has lost an appeal against his Tour de France ban.

Peter Sagan

World champion cyclist Peter Sagan has been disqualified from the Tour de France. (AAP)

Peter Sagan failed in his appeal to be reinstated to the Tour de France on Wednesday, a day after he was disqualified for causing a crash.

The 27-year-old Slovak Sagan is the reigning world champion but will play no further part in the most prestigious road race on the cycling calender.

"I can only accept the decision of the jury, but I disagree. I don't think I've done anything wrong in the sprint," said Sagan in a video posted by his Bora-hansgrohe team in response to the decision of cycling governing body UCI to reject his appeal.

Sagan was deemed to have elbowed British rider Mark Cavendish into a side barrier during Tuesday's fourth stage final sprint in Vittel.

Cavendish, who won the points classification Green Jersey in 2011, fractured his shoulder blade in the crash and had to withdraw from the race but praised the decision to disqualify Sagan.

"It takes a lot of courage, a lot of balls, to eliminate the world champion from the Tour de France," Cavendish, who was hoping to add to his 30 Tour stage wins, told reporters before the start of Wednesday's fifth stage.

Cavendish dismissed suggestions that he was forcing his way between Sagan and the safety barrier when Sagan flicked his elbow out.

"I know what kind of gaps I can fit through," he explained.

The fifth stage of the Tour on Wednesday is only 160km from Vittel to the ski resort of Haute-Saone but concludes with a brutal climb in the first visit to the mountains this year.

Team Sky rider Geriant Thomas leads the general classification ahead of teammate and three-time champion Chris Froome.


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Source: AAP



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