VESOUL, France (AFP) — Sprint safety will be the key phrase during Thursday’s sixth stage at the Tour de France following world champion Peter Sagan’s disqualification earlier this week.
Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) was disqualified from the race after a crash that sent Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) into the barriers and left him with a broken shoulder blade just 200 meters from the finish of Tuesday’s stage 4. It was not entirely clear if Sagan caused the crash, but the UCI race jury saw it another way and kicked him out of the race.
Sagan denied he’d done anything wrong.
The incident has sparked a debate about whether sprinters have — or even need — a callous streak, attributing greater importance to their own success than their rivals’ health.
But FDJ manager Marc Madiot denied that sprinters are, by nature, any more feisty than other cyclists.
“It’s like football. Some people go in with their studs up, others don’t,” he said.
Certainly the sprint finish to Thursday’s 216-kilometer stage from Vesoul to Troyes, expected to be fast and furious, will be scrutinized closely. And it’s sure to be as keenly fought as ever, particularly with Sagan’s absence opening up the race for the sprinters’ green jersey.
Sagan won the points classification the last five years. The absence of him and Cavendish opens the door for several others who can now challenge for the jersey, including Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) and current holder Arnaud Demare (FDJ).
Following Wednesday’s fireworks on the first mountaintop finish of this year’s race, won by Italian Fabio Aru (Astana) after a gutsy solo attack, it will be down to the ground with a bump, and perhaps a few bruises too, on Thursday.
The sprinters will be wary after crashes marred the previous two sprint stages.
Prior to the crash in the closing meters Tuesday, another incident caused several riders to hit the pavement hard — a group that included Sky’s Geraint Thomas, the race leader at the time.
Thomas also crashed on Sunday’s second stage, alongside his teammate and reigning champion Chris Froome. Froome now leads the race.
These incidents could lead to some jittery riding Thursday as the sprinters make their way toward the finish line at high speeds.
The post Sprint safety in the Tour de France spotlight after Cavendish crash appeared first on VeloNews.com.