Cycling: The exclusion of Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) seems to be a never-ending story. Even after the CAS verdict, the team does not want to forget the incident. On the contrary: Further legal steps are being examined.
The International Sports Court rejected the urgent application
After Peter Sagan left the 2017 Tour de France after the fourth stage left, the topic actually seemed to be over. But the Bora-hansgrohe team is loyal to its top star. Immediately after the exclusion, Bora-hansgrohe moved with an urgent application to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport CAS. This request was made on the grounds that Peter Sagan was not allowed to comment on the incident in question prior to the disqualification. The CAS has now rejected the application. A return of Peter Sagan was not really in the room anyway. A rider who has already left the Tour de France cannot simply re-enter it at a later date. The requirement makes sense nonetheless. After all, you want to show that the team is behind Peter Sagan and that the decision is absolutely unacceptable.
Ralph Denk is considering further legal action
Even with the rejection of the urgent application, the Bora-hansgrohe team is still not quiet. If the Tour de France jury thought that the issue would end after the fifth stage, they were obviously wrong. Team manager Ralph Denk is considering further legal action even after the CAS was rejected: "As soon as we have the verdict, we will consider possible further steps with our lawyers." Of course, it's not just about the reputation of the world champion and the loyalty between driver and team, but also about money. After all, it is a catastrophe for the team's sponsors when the best driver is – even unjustly – excluded from the most important race in the world. So the Peter Sagan case is moving to the next round. An end is not in sight for the time being.
Matthias says
What does "even unjustifiably excluded" mean here...?
If a driver, who is generally known for his rude and unfair style, carries out such an unsportsmanlike action, then it is only logical to show this driver rigorously and consistently the limits for his behavior. Alone also to protect the other drivers.
Sprinters like André Greipel and Marcel Kittel drive at the same level, hard and fast races. No one has ever seen such unsportsmanlike behavior.
Who actually thinks and writes about Marc Cavendish, his serious injury and the early termination of the tour and the entire 2017 season...?
Your article doesn't mention that either...
Marcel says
Nonsense! Sagan is everything but certainly not an unfair or rude driver. He doesn't have that reputation in the peloton either – where do you get that accusation from?
In addition, he did not commit any unsportsmanlike action, as you claim. He put in a hard sprint, as will many before him and many after him. It's a joke that he was disqualified for that.
Mark Cavendish doesn't see the whole thing as too tragic himself, as he has emphasized several times now. In addition, there can be no talk of a season, Cav will definitely return to racing later this year...
... Again a case of "if you have no idea..."
Robert says
Now that Rolf Aldag has rowed back as well, it's even more worthwhile for all the unsuspecting to watch the sprint again - this time in slow motion - on youtube. When Marc Cavendish was still one of the top sprinters, he was known for his "imprudent" behavior. If you are looking for a gap where there is none, you have to live with the self-inflicted consequences.