VITTEL, France (Reuters) - Mark Cavendish praised the Tour de France jury's "courage" after it kicked world champion Peter Sagan out of the race for sending the Briton crashing to the ground in a chaotic sprint finale on Tuesday. Sagan appeared to elbow Cavendish off balance at the end of the fourth stage, and the Dimension Data rider sustained a broken shoulder blade in the crash that occurred at more than 60 kph. "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. Sagan has apologised to Cavendish, who said he appreciated the gesture.

Source: The Star July 05, 2017 13:18 UTC