Mark Cavendish was relegated from fifth to 68th place on stage 12 of the Tour de France, after being judged to have deviated from his dash within the last.
Because the race reached 400m to go, the Astana Qazaqstan rider veered over to the left-hand facet of the street, earlier than swinging again in. Seconds later, the Manxman was pressured to veer once more, to keep away from a lead-out rider who had stopped pedalling. It’s unknown which transfer value him, however the race jury judged that Cavendish had fallen foul of UCI Article 2.12.007-5.1 – “deviation from the chosen line that obstructs or endangers one other rider or irregular dash”.
Whereas Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) received his third stage of the race, Cavendish was pressured to mirror on a relegation in what’s his last Tour de France.
The 39-year-old was additionally fined 500CHF, in addition to shedding -13 factors within the factors classification, and shedding out on the factors he would have gained for completed fifth.
Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Resorts) was additionally judged to have deviated from his line and relegated, though his transgression was extra blatant, virtually shifting Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) into the boundaries on the right-hand facet.
“We’re clearly fairly upset in that dash as a result of we expect it was a solidly earned fifth place from Cavendish right now,” his sports activities director, Mark Renshaw, advised ITV sport post-stage. “There have been a few selections that the commissaires panel has taken in that last, one in all them impacts us and Cavendish is basically upset with this resolution, as I’m and as are the workforce, as a result of we thought it was a hard-earned fifth place. There’s many causes for the way in which he sprinted.
“If we actually analyse this transfer and break down these 50 metres, we are able to see that Dan McLay (Arkéa-B&B Resorts) is main out Démare. Should you then stack it up in opposition to the white line you possibly can see that he’s parallel about .8 of a metre to the appropriate of the white line. He then finishes his lead out and he strikes to the left, my estimate is about 1.5 metres he strikes to the left and stops pedalling.”
“I am certain Thierry Gouvenou (the route designer) stated in a gathering the opposite day that if you happen to’re a lead-out man and also you cease pedalling, please maintain pedalling. So I feel this transfer by McLay the place he stops pedalling in all probability deserves extra of a sanction than what Mark Cavendish deserved. I as a leadout man know that if you happen to cease pedalling in a dash like this then there might be a response.
“The response to that transfer by McLay stopping pedalling was Cav deviating to the left additionally with [Bryan] Coquard arduous on the wheel. I feel each riders, Cav and Coquard, had already dedicated to leaping to the left. So you have received a rider like McLay who stops pedalling at 74kmph, Cav in the identical second has already dedicated to leaping to the left and that is the response to that motion.”
“He’s actually upset and actually indignant in regards to the resolution as a result of he believes it was unfair and an motion due to McLay coming again.”
