“Completely against the rules” – Sagan punished after a wild west sprint
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Unfair in the finish sprint: Peter Sagan (l.)
What: AP
It was fought hard on the eleventh stage of the Tour de France. Peter Sagan has to give up his second place after a bump against van Aert. His competitors criticize him harshly.
Wout van Aert cursed, cursed and showed Peter Sagan the middle finger. The Belgian high-flyer was possibly deprived of his third stage win in the 107th Tour de France by a violent bump from the ex-world champion of the German Bora-Hansgrohe team in a wild west sprint.
“I said some ugly words to him. It is frustrating. That was completely against the rules. I was surprised and shocked. I could be happy not to fall ”, van Aert exclaimed. The jury shared the Belgian’s opinion and gave Sagan the receipt. The superstar was moved to 85th place.
But this did not change anything in the stage victory of the Australian Caleb Ewan after 167.5 kilometers from Châtelaillon-Plage to Poitiers. Roger Kluge’s team-mate returned the favor for second place the day before and raced for his second stage win.
“Far from perfect”
The Slovak Sagan, who initially crossed the finish line second, was not aware of any guilt at first. However, his team quickly admitted their top star’s mistake and did not lodge an objection against the jury’s decision. “Peter touched van Aert harder than he wanted. That was far from perfect, but we have to accept it, ”said sporting director Enrico Poitschke.
It is well known that the superstar fights hard in the final. In 2017 he had extended his elbow against Mark Cavendish in the sprint and was then completely excluded from the Tour of France. This time he only lost many points in the battle for the green jersey.
Thanks to the renewed preparatory work by driver Roger Kluge, Ewan won after the adjusted result just ahead of the Irish Sam Bennett and van Aert. He had already triumphed in Sisteron. This means that he could set or even surpass his record from last year with three daily wins.
Stage winner Caleb Ewan from Australia
Source: dpa
“It was very hectic. After finishing second on Tuesday, I really wanted to win. I am super happy with the second stage win. After the first success, the pressure dropped, ”said Ewan.
The German drivers played no role in the next mass arrival, and old star André Greipel was also unable to present himself this time after finishing sixth the day before. In the struggle for the twelfth stage win of his career, the 38-year-old will probably only have the king’s sprint on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where he had already triumphed in 2015 and 2016.
After all, the Rostock native is doing better now after suffering from fall injuries in the first week. “The day off came at the right time. I feel better and better, ”said Greipel. Next year, the sprinter is unlikely to get a tour ticket, because his racing team Israel Start-Up Nation will then tackle the tour victory with Chris Froome.
The Slovenian Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic remains the favorite for the 2020 tour victory. The ex-ski jumper had no trouble defending his yellow jersey on the flat stage and is still 21 seconds ahead of the Colombian defending champion Egan Bernal. Emanuel Buchmann no longer plays a role, he has also lost his most important helper. The Austrian Gregor Mühlberger had to give up after an infection.
“Peter is not fast enough”
As expected, the decision in Poitiers was made in the mass sprint. Bennett also defended the green jersey of the driver with the best points in second place in front of ex-team-mate Sagan from the Bora-Hansgrohe team. “When the stages are easy, Peter is not fast enough,” said sports director Poitschke. This time the Slovak was very close – albeit with illegal means. Things are getting serious for Sagan in the battle for green, having won points seven times in the past eight years.
Bennett could succeed his famous compatriot Sean Kelly, who won the green jersey four times in Paris in the 1980s. The former Irish cycling star encourages Bennett: “After the first stage win, he knows he can do great things. It just took a little longer. ”
On Thursday the tour will continue with the longest stage, when it goes over 218 kilometers from Chauvigny to Sarran Corrèze. Two mountains in the fourth and an ascent in the third and second category could offer outliers a chance.
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